Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We will not be supporting this motion to suspend standing orders so we can debate a bill for a plebiscite. This is Tony Abbott's rocket manoeuvre. He announced his plan for a plebiscite in the tabloid press—that was blast-off; it exploded all over the sky; and now it has fallen to earth like a dead stick. It has nowhere to go, except that some days later we have the Abetz-led coalition up here in the Senate trying to give it some oxygen. It will not work. They have nowhere to go with it. Seriously, is this Senate going to set aside all the other business confronting Australia to bring forward a proposal for a plebiscite—or a proposal on any matter you like—on the run?

I have just been speaking to the local government conference in Canberra. There were 900 candidates there.

Senator Nash interjecting—

The Nationals might not like this but it is the reality. We had a good discussion there about hugely important issues, like the current furore over export of livestock overseas, like the need to find a carbon price for Australia and like the mining boom, which is bringing great hardship not just to manufacturing industries but—

Senator Nash interjecting—

The National Party does not want to support manufacturing industries or rural and regional Australia like the Greens will—

Senator Nash interjecting—

And the poddy calves are carrying on from the National Party benches, but they have nowhere to go. What I want to hear from them is whether they are going to support a properly constituted process for a plebiscite of the Australian people to recognise Indigenous Australians. What is their position on supporting a proper process through parliament, with consultation with the Australian people, on recognising local government?

This is a coalition that does not know about process, does not honour the constitutional norms in this country and does not have respect for proper parliamentary procedure but wants to come in and carry on with a manoeuvre that has fallen flat. The major reason it has fallen flat is that, when asked about what he would do if the Australian people supported action on climate change—as I predict they would—Tony Abbott said he would not support it. 'Either the Australian people vote the way I want them to or I will reject them'—what sort of democracy is Tony Abbott talking about there? Of course, the Telegraph did not run that yesterday, did it? So we got Tony Abbott saying, 'I want to go to the Australian people but I will take no notice of them.'