David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

This is, undoubtedly, the most dysfunctional government we have ever seen, politically and administratively. It is more than a year ago that Mr Finkelstein did his report and provided the government with a path to media reform. The question must be asked by someone: what has this minister been doing for the last 12 months? What has he been doing? We know he has been doing a bit of skiing and other things. Is anybody surprised that when he pulled the pin on this grenade this was the result and that, when he sought to set up the public interest media commissar, there would be universal outrage? He seems the only one who is surprised. But I am sure that he is no orphan, because I think his Prime Minister is surprised. I look at Fairfax Media doing the reporting of yesterday's proceedings and they say:

Billionaire media mogul Kerry Stokes has accused the federal government of planning more oversight of the press than the Chinese government does as media moguls descended on Canberra to attack the media package.

And further: 'Media executives were united in their opposition to the proposed Public Interest Media Advocate, labelling the power of the position as unprecedented, far-reaching and direct government interference of the press.' Mr Stokes, who set up the Shanghai Daily, said, 'We didn't have to go through this to do that.' Greg Hywood of Fairfax Media said that the public interest media commissar will have seriously dangerous consequences for good government. They are just two senior media commentators.

What on earth was this minister thinking when he introduced this stuff—seriously loopy stuff, seriously out there stuff, seriously politically dysfunctional stuff. But all of that is matched by the level and quality of leadership he is getting from his Prime Minister. There has never been an identification of the mischief. Why do we need this stuff? What is it all about? What is the legislation designed to cure or arrest? No-one seems to have any answer to this. I think it is actually criticism, because heaven only knows there has been enough criticism of this government on boats, with 34,000 people arriving since 2007. What a fiasco that has been. The mining resource rent tax—the tax that actually costs the taxpayers money—what a disaster, what a fiasco that has been. The carbon tax, the Malaysian solution, the East Timor solution—all of these are the creatures and children of this Prime Minister.

We have Mr Graham Perrett conceding:

The Prime Minister's in more trouble than Indiana Jones.

And then we have an unnamed minister talking about a leadership move. He says, 'I can't see it not happening'. I think it is a logical, explained consequence of this crazy media reform at this time. It is an election year. You guys over there have really lost the plot. And this minister has tremendous form—why would you ride him into battle on this? He mucked up anti-siphoning, completely stuffed it up; his performance on NBN has been utterly hopeless; he tried to do an internet filter that was just laughed out of this chamber; and his interception of the Australia Network tender meant the whole thing cost the taxpayer probably $5 million or $10 million. He is one of the few ministers who can actually wear a medal for about $60 million of wasted cost in various tenders for the provision of internet services.

Ultimately, this dysfunctional government has to do something. This PM has got to go. She has got to go. I cannot see how this government can continue with this level of incompetence, but I am sure I will be surprised in the future.