Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I keep hearing these calls from those opposite about what a great job the former Treasurer did. They are hankering after the former Treasurer. Well, Senators, you might hanker after him but he ain’t hankering after you. You offered him the job and he did not want it.

He did not want to lead the rabble over there. He did not want to be responsible for the economic vandalism that you lot over there are perpetrating on this country at the moment. That is why he did not want the job. He knew that he could not possibly sign up to the vandalism that you guys are demonstrating at the moment, given the economically irresponsible positions adopted by the previous leader and now by the current leader. That is why he did not want to be the leader of your party. You are a rabble! You have lost the plot! The economic security of this country is being challenged by economic circumstances, and you just continue to play cheap politics.