Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State and Scrutiny of Government Waste) Share this | Hansard source

Centrelink and others. I appreciate some of the things my colleague Senator Fielding is saying, but let us go back and see what this fight was about and how far we have come. We have come a long way. It fascinates me. Where were those Labor members back when this debate first started? Where were those Labor members on behalf of their constituents? Where was Darren Cheeseman in Corangamite when this debate first started? Was he supporting the kids who had taken a gap year for 2008? Was he there to be seen? Was he in the Geelong Advertiser or the Geelong Independent or the Colac Herald? Was he in there saying, ‘This is a shocking decision!’ No, he was not. He rolled over; he did not have the intestinal fortitude to stand up for the kids in Corangamite, for which he will be penalised very strongly. I will finish on this note, but I want to take you back, Mr Chairman, to when this debate first started—back to the fact that kids who finished in 2008 were going to lose their entitlement because of a retrospectively effective piece of legislation. We have taken this a long, long way.

Question put:

That the amendment (Senator Mason’s) be agreed to.