Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I think, just like you did this morning, that you and the Liberal Party have overreached, just like you did with Godwin Grech. You do not show the judgement required in these matters and I think you will regret the excesses of this matter because you have sought to go beyond what is a reasonable attempt to hold a minister accountable for his portfolio. That is perfectly reasonable when the parliamentary opportunities are there to do that and Minister Garrett has had to come into the House of Representatives chamber and defend himself and defend himself publicly, and that is as it should be. But I think you have overreached and you have unfairly sought to take advantage of those tragic situations in advancing your case. That is regrettable. The Liberal Party ought to reconsider how far it has gone with some of the accusations that it has made.

This proposed resolution is a joke. I think the fact that Senator Bob Brown could not do more than 10 minutes in supporting it indicates how seriously he takes it. There have been no questions from the Greens on this issue this week. There has been no concerted attempt to argue that censure is warranted. I think the Liberal Party ought to think more carefully about signing up to this sort of stunt. They are increasingly getting a reputation of not being fit to be an alternative government in this country.