David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to take note of the answers given by Senator Wong and Senator Evans in question time today. I can understand that these are very challenging and difficult times indeed for the other side. I can only imagine that, when they were trying to work out this morning what they would talk about today, they ran through the list: ‘Fair Work; no, we can’t talk about that. Broadband; no, we have a dreadful record there, too. What is another national issue of importance? Water. Well, we have completely failed on water. The global financial crisis? We have nothing to contribute there, either.’

These are the great issues of the day and those opposite remain mute. Perhaps in their despair they called their loyal friends in the country auxiliary from the ‘Notional Party’. But coming up with deep questions on matters of public policy is not the forte of our furry friends in the ‘Notional Party’, so no doubt they let them down too. So what do we have at the end of this potpourri? We have a question about the Labor Party’s track record on consultation—and let me say what a fine and upstanding issue it is! When it comes to consultation or, more accurately, the complete lack of it, the other side are virtuosos. What is their track record on consultation? In recent times we have seen that wonderful and enlightening series The Howard Years, which gave us some wonderful insights into how seriously the other side take consultation. I particularly remember one poignant moment when the then Treasurer of the land, Peter Costello, and his loyal sidekick in finance, John Fahey, complained that no-one consulted with them about the announcement that there would be a GST. So consultation begins at home, brothers and sisters of the opposition, and you have a track record of delivering absolutely none. This party was led for 11 years by a man who deigned not to even consult his cabinet, let alone the community at large.

But, hang on, who else might we look at for your models of consultation? I dare say that if you had extended some of your consultation to your branch membership it would have been a magnificent improvement on the status quo. With whom did you consult when you were introducing the GST? With whom did you consult when you were considering Work Choices? I dare say that you exposed yourself to some critical thought when you were developing Work Choices. Those opposite have in recent times turned hypocrisy into a fine art. We have had questions on broadband—when these guys were responsible for 11 years of magnificent failure. We have had questions on IR—when, of course, it was those opposite who in government had a record that was second to none in its crushing effect on ordinary people. What else can we point to? Climate change—and that brings me to the issue at hand. Your side never needed to engage in consultation with respect to climate change. Why did they not need to consult with anyone? Because they knew it did not exist. Their policy was to pull the doona up that little bit higher over the dear heads of the policy geniuses of the Liberal Party!