Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the coalition, it is a pleasure to stand here and counter some of the claims made by Senator Pratt. It is extraordinary that Senator Pratt must take the Australian electorate for granted. She must think that the people listening to this have the attention span of goldfish and that they are, somehow, going to forget about all the negativity and all the failures of the last five years in the hope that they are going to paint some promises for the next five years should they be re-elected. Let me concede, Senator Pratt, that there is an ideological divide between us. There is a gulf that is so big and so stark to the Australian people. It is a gulf between competence on this side of the chamber and incompetence on your side of the chamber. It is a gulf between honesty on this side of the chamber and blatant dishonesty on your side of the chamber. It is about accountability and history in government that is over here versus excuses—and pathetic excuses at that—over the other side. It is about solutions to the problems that you have created on your side of the chamber. They are your problems that the Australian people are desperate to have solved, Senator Pratt. How can you come in here and be proud of your record? It says something about the very low bar that you set for yourself and for your colleagues. It is about hope on this side of the chamber versus hopeless over there. It is a sweeping generalisation about hopelessness. It is about stability here.

Senator Polley interjecting—

Senator Pratt interjecting—