Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Acting Deputy President. These people—2.2 million people on pension support—have been forgotten by the Liberal Party, not mentioned today by Senator Bernardi, not mentioned by Senator Humphries, because they know and we all know that this is nothing but a hoax. It is nothing but a cheap stunt, and the architect of this stunt was none other than the member for Bradfield, who has plenty of form on stunts. Let us just think about his time in office and the stunts he pulled. Who can forget his memorable listening tour, when he spent his time on the jungle gym with the kids? Or when he jumped into a semitrailer a couple of weeks ago? His fuel excise cut was another stunt. The list is endless. This issue was drummed up to save his own political leadership. He was under pressure from the member for Higgins, Peter Costello. He was under pressure from the member for Wentworth. So he reverted to form and came up with a stunt.

What has amazed me in the past week is that the member for Wentworth has agreed to the charade. The member for Wentworth, who claims to be so in touch with Australian families, so in touch with pensioners, from his Point Piper base, has not seen through the stunt. In fact, he is adding to it. What he has shown is that he is cut from exactly the same fabric as the member for Bradfield; he is no different. While the personalities and the people change, the policies do not.

Listening to the speeches today about all the amazing things that the Liberal Party did in government over 12 years, I noticed that they tended to forget or gloss over some of the facts. Senator Humphries talked about the myth that Mal Brough had put forward a very similar proposal. It is not a myth, it is fact. He went to the cabinet and put forward a proposal for a $30 increase to the base rate for pensioners and he was knocked over. They did not support it, they did not believe in it: it was bad policy. So they knocked him over. They do not admit it now—now it is a myth; but it was a fact. It is amazing when they talk about their great commitment to seniors. Let us talk about the responsible shadow minister, Tony Abbott. Four days ago he was saying he wanted out of his portfolio. He did not want to have to deal with families and seniors and Indigenous people. He was more interested in getting into the main game. (Time expired)