Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) Share this | Hansard source

but something that we have become used to, especially from the senator interjecting, because when he does not have any arguments he descends to the slur. We were told that this was going to assist coalition members. Out of the 33 members of the House of Representatives who represent rural and regional areas, it happens to be that 26 of them are in fact members of the coalition. Of course, Labor members benefit, as I would assume do certain Independent members in the House of Representatives. The threshold question is not, ‘Are you a member of the coalition?’ and to suggest that is just outrageous. The threshold question is: ‘Is the member of the House of Representatives entitled to a charter entitlement by virtue of the size of their electorate?’ That is the category on which the Remuneration Tribunal has determined this.

The Labor Party’s great lament is that they do not represent more rural and regional seats. I could give them a little lecture as to why that is. First of all, they might not want to adopt the silly forestry policies that they had at the last election. They might have been representing a few more rural and regional seats. Instead of using question time for the matters that they seek to raise, they might actually ask questions about drought. But of course it is always left to us on the coalition side—and Senator Boswell today—to ask those important questions about drought. And they then wonder why they do not represent the rural and regional seats. I will not give them any more gratuitous advice, just in case they take me up on it. I am very happy with their neglect of the rural and regional areas to a certain extent, because of the—