Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is going to be a fascinating day because today the Labor Party will vote to put independents out of business. That is what will happen today. I saw the amendment and I was wondering what was going on, and now I have worked it out. This is interesting. It is clear that today Labor believe that the market reigns supreme and that there should be no protection for independents. That is all well and good until next week, when the cross-media ownership laws come in, when they are going to be saying, ‘We have to have protection.’ What they are saying is going to change. Today the market reigns supreme, today independents can go out of business, today Labor honour their promises to the major oil companies, and today the major oil companies have pulled their chains and called in favours, but next week we will hear the whole palaver about how we have to put in protections and cross-media ownership laws, for which Labor might get some support but for which they may not.

The issue is that today Labor have been called into order—by whom? Why did Labor decide that they are going to let this bill go through? I think we all know that we could stop it. Why are they are going to let this go through without any protections for independents? It is not looking after big Australian companies; it is looking after big multinational companies. Even one of the major retailers, Coles, is about to wander offshore and Labor have come in to bat for them. The Labor Party have come flying in over the horizon to be knights in shining armour. After all their rhetoric about how government control of the Senate is so bad and evil, on the one day they have the chance to show the Australian people that they can stand up for themselves and make a difference, they go to water, they fold.

I have to say of the conservative side that at least they are consistent. They seem to want to privatise everything—I do not know why—but at least they are consistent. The Labor side had the chance today to make a difference. That is what is so fascinating about today. That is what is going to go down in the annals. Today the Labor Party had the chance to sink a bill, to make a difference, and they chose not to because they got a phone call—ring, ring—that went, ‘These are the major oil companies on the line—toe the line or else.’ And they did. I hope there are fur and feathers flying everywhere in their caucus meeting, because they look like a complete and utter mess. They look like they are all over the shop on this issue and they are going to look completely and utterly foolish. They always taunt the National Party about being a doormat; who is the doormat today? And a doormat for whom? The multinational oil companies. They have Labor’s number, they have made the call and Labor are going to follow blindly. Later on Labor will be talking about extremism—it cannot get any more extreme than what they are about to do. Today they had the chance and the ability, in front of the Australian people, to make a difference. That one opportunity is about to slip past them. It is always the same with them; once they have that chance, they blow it.

We talk about the views of politics getting closer; today they merged. It is a sad statement. There must be the view in the Labor Party that support of multinationals over independents and Australian based companies is something that needs Labor Party support. The Labor Party are going to support the destruction of Australian businesses by multinationals. They have arrived at an interesting place. So let us have a vote; it is going to be fascinating. All that people have to know is that, the one time the Labor Party could have made a difference, they blew it. Next week when Labor debate the cross-media ownership laws, they should be called to account and have quoted back to them everything they have said during this debate. They should explain to people the inconsistency in their positions and how next week they are going to have a completely different position to this week.

Next week the Labor Party are going to be asking for greater controls and greater protections—and there are other people who might be asking for them as well—but this week they think there should be none. This week, because it has something to do with regional Australia, because their number is being called and because the issue could be deemed to be in other people’s interest, they are going to flush Australian independent businesses down the tube. There are no protections in here for independents, nor did the Labor Party ever suggest any.

All we have is an agreement that the guillotine will not fall today; it will fall on 1 March 2007. That is amazing! That is marvellous! That is going to change the world! That is a great step forward! Apparently the Labor Party believe that at that point of time some miracle will happen and all the ducks will line up in a row for them. I do not know, maybe that will be a common occurrence. Today they had a chance to make a difference and they did not. That is all that needs to be recorded.