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

I do not mind them braying over there. They know how wrong they are. That is the simple matter of it, Mr President. They know that they will be able to keep shouting all the way down to the line and they know that they have had a victory on this. They have left that impost on two innocent senators, through that reference which you recommended to the committee chair, and we will bear it. That is where the chamber has got to under this presiding officer with this rabble of an opposition for which no rule is not meant to be changed in order for them to prosecute a quarrel and to prosecute the base political level to which this chamber has come with Senator Abetz, Senator Brandis and the people who do their bidding like Senator Kroger and Senator Cash. That is the way it is. That is the way it must be. There will be review back on this.

Opposition senators interjecting—

You can hear them braying now. Some of the execrable comments that are allowed by the chair right now would not be allowed if I was yelling out at a speaker on the other side. But that is what we have in this chamber in 2012, the lowest ebb in the whole of its history. That is where we are at. This motion cannot be upheld in its current form because it would simply traduce the reality of what is happening in this Senate in 2012, Mr President. It would be a very bad look indeed. Of course, you have Senator Abetz as your chief supporter in this chamber, as we can see through this motion. You live with that, Sir; I will live with the opposition he sends in my direction.