Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Chair, I am going to hold him to it. His position is on the Hansard. He is a minister representing the government. He was given a direct question. He was asked to elucidate and he was given a framework in which to give a position, to answer the question. We even gave him a little story so he would not get confused. He gave the answer that, yes, people can get a temporary licence. It is on the Hansard; the answer is yes. That is the position he has given. That is now the position of the government. He was given the opportunity to retract it. He refused to retract it. Instead of retracting it, he told a story about me, by myself, somehow orchestrating from this side of the chamber a plan to bring down Australia, about me being the servant of foreign interests. And of course that is so logical!

Now we are sitting around waiting for an answer from the minister representing the Crown, the Hon. Kim Carr, who has accused me of being an agent of foreign governments and disguising it by seeking the refuge of a rogue, wrapping myself in the Australian flag. All I am really looking for is an explanation of the answer he gave, when he said yes. That was it, a monosyllabic 'yes', which was supposed to be a monosyllabic 'no', and he just does not have the capacity to go back to his position and correct the record.