Steve Hutchins (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will supply you with a copy of this information so you can put it on your desk, Senator Bernardi, and you can look at what you should not do if you should ever get into power again. Follow this great Jesuit, and you may well find yourselves in power again.

But we know why the coalition lost the election. It was because they took their eye off the ball. After 11 years in power, what did they spend their last few years in office doing? They had unprecedented control of the country and its economy—unprecedented. They controlled this Senate. They could do whatever they liked. There were 39 of them and 37 of us on the other side. What did they spend their final years in office doing? You know what they were doing, Mr Acting Deputy President. I know what they were doing. They were spending their last years in office trying to stab the then Prime Minister in the back. The Costello supporters—and there are a few in here at the moment—were doing everything they could to undermine the then Prime Minister.