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

Senator Campbell—unemployed around his neck, which he achieved outside of the parliament. Senator Cameron is going to achieve it inside the parliament, with 134,000 unemployed around his neck, without a whimper—and he calls himself a defender of the worker! It is in the budget papers and he has accepted it. We did not hear anything at all about that in his speech. I must get in contact with former Senator George Campbell and apologise profusely. We challenged each other many times during general business. I thought he was too extreme, but now his successor has certainly proven me wrong.

Can I bring the debate back to the general business motion—or bring the government’s attention to it? Can I bring the motion to the attention of the next speaker from the government, Senator Pratt? She is furiously making notes at the moment—either to challenge me or to finish writing what she has to say. Why bother? I know that she just has a set piece. Senators Furner and Cameron both had set pieces, using the same lines, the same cliches and the same exaggerations. I have no doubt that the whip has handed Senator Pratt the same set of notes. I do not know why she is bothering to take extra notes unless she wants to challenge something that I am saying. Well, I dare her to. I invite her to.

Senator Fifield spent many years with the former Treasurer and can take credit, and does take credit—in his private moments, I should add; he is not a boastful man—and should take credit for working with the former Treasurer and achieving what they did over the years.