Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it is absolutely gutless. This morning Senator Siewert ran through all the instances where a guillotine has occurred before. How about this? If Senator Siewert is so concerned about the instances of the guillotine before, why didn't she direct her anger at the Labor government side of this chamber and not the coalition? Why have a go at us about it? Why not have a go at the other side of the chamber and the Labor government? They are the ones who pulled out the guillotine. We can see it from their track record—their opposition to the guillotine is there in thousands and thousands of words in Hansardso why didn't Senator Siewert and Senator Brown oppose the Labor government this morning when they called on the guillotine? I do not think you have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. I do not think you even have to be a kindergartener to figure this out. The Greens are now part of the Labor-Green government. Isn't that a shame.

As much as the Greens have been misguided, in my view, over the years—and I agree with precious little of their policies and with what they say—at least they had a little bit of principle back then. At least they said what they believed in. But now they have lost every bit of integrity and principle regarding this issue, because today they directed their remarks to the wrong side of the chamber. For Senator Bob Brown to sit in the chamber this morning, smirk and say nothing, when in the past it was his raison d'etre to ensure that this chamber operated appropriately, that there was free speech, that nobody was gagged, that everyone could talk—

Senator Joyce interjecting—

Yes, with his hands out to the cameras, pleading for free speech in the chamber. What did we get this morning? We got support of the guillotine.