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

I have to give Senator Brandis this: he is consistent. He called his own Prime Minister a liar and now he is calling our Prime Minister a liar. I think 'lying rodent' was his description of John Howard. So he is consistent: he seems to have this view about all prime ministers. So I congratulate him for that.

But what this question shows up again is the total absence of any contribution to public policy from the opposition in this country. This is the first question of question time. This is the best they can do: to ask the same question they have been asking for months, which is that old student politician, nitpicking, 'nah-nah-nah-nah-nah' sort of approach to politics. They have nothing to contribute to public policy—just opposition for opposition's sake. They have nothing to contribute to the very serious public policy debates in this country and nothing to contribute to the challenge of climate change. They are an opposition with no policies and no contribution to make.