Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a shame that the new senator, who replaces Robert Ray, has certainly not lived up to the standard of the former godfather of the Labor Party. We all read on the weekend exactly what we already knew in this parliament—and what was made public in the media, page after page and in current affairs shows over the weekend. It was made public finally, and thank goodness. After only six months in government, this government is in chaos from the top down. We know that every decision is logjammed in the Prime Minister’s office and that the Prime Minister is making all the errors that he made when he was chief of staff to the former Premier of Queensland, Mr Goss. The Prime Minister has learned nothing and he has brought all those errors to the prime ministership. We learned over the weekend that the government is being run from the top, from an inner sanctum of two junior staffers—two inexperienced staffers who have been given senior positions—who are dictating to the ministers across here and in the House the policies, announcements and decisions of this government. Within six months, the government has reached the point of utter chaos. This sort of leadership cannot last. We were in government for 11½ years. Take it from us that it cannot be sustained, nor can a government be sustained when every decision is logjammed in the Prime Minister’s office.

I daresay the more experienced of those on the other side—like Senator Sherry, who has experienced government in the past—know that only too well that the Prime Minister cannot sustain this style of leadership. In fact, over the weekend, senior commentators were discussing the possibility that, at this rate and unless it changes, this will be a one-term government. This is a Prime Minister who is not going to change; this we know. So they are now talking about a one-term government.

The story is told that one of the few one-term presidents in the United States, Jimmy Carter—the great disaster—ran his White House in exactly the same way, to the point where apparently he was also running the White House tennis rosters. What stage is this Prime Minister going to reach? I would not be surprised if he were running the tennis rosters.

You are a bunch of cowards. Senator Conroy: how tough was he in opposition? Now that he has come into government he is kowtowing and making all his decisions through the Prime Minister’s office.