Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health Administration) Share this | Hansard source

Senators on the other side are very touchy, aren’t they? Very, very touchy, aren’t they, those senators on the other side? Through you, Mr Acting Deputy President, I would like to know whether one of those senators is actually going to participate in this debate, because I believe—and I am happy to stand corrected; I am happy for a senator on the other side to get up, ask for the call and correct my statement—that senators on the other side have been told by their government not to participate in this debate. I believe that senators on the other side have been told not to scrutinise, not to speak, not to in any way question or participate in the debate about this $42 billion package. In my view, they are just sitting there and not doing their job. The point I am making is that senators on the other side will go down in Australian history as not having done their job at a crucial time. At a time when we are facing significant economic challenges, the Labor side—in this Senate, at least—were not prepared to participate in this debate.

I will sum up by going back to where I started. These are serious times—of course they are. These are serious times which require serious action, not just any action. This package is not serious. The way the government have sought to rush this package of bills through the parliament is not serious. The way the government are treating this debate is not serious. If the government were serious about doing the right thing by the Australian people, if the government were serious about doing something that is going to help take the Australian economy forward, they would engage sincerely with the opposition. They would take up the offer of Malcolm Turnbull, the Leader of the Opposition, to engage constructively with the opposition and have a discussion about how we can come up with a more sensible package, a package that is actually going to make a difference.