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

I am coming to that, Senator Boswell. I was just pointing out that there has been a little bit of change. Certainly we have seen state Labor in New South Wales indicating that they would prefer the Greens not to be so high up on the ticket during election campaigns—but that is probably a nice of way of putting it. But you are right, Senator Boswell—I will take that interjection. The Greens have absolutely got their way on this—not completely, but they certainly have got their way.

How is it that we have got to such a situation in this nation? I ask colleagues to cast their minds to the fact that we have 226 members and senators and the Greens have 10. With 10 members and senators out of 226 they are telling the Labor government what to do! That is not democracy. That is not democracy in any way, shape or form.