Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I can understand why the Tasmanians are getting a bit agitated about this, because the Tasmanians are the ones that have got probably the weakest backbench in here. They will not stand up for Tasmania, will not stand up to get a fair go from the federal government. They capitulate—from the leader in here to Senator Bushby. They are vacillating, weak backbenchers, with absolutely no interest in what is here for the future. So what they are prepared to do, if, for example, it is a bushfire in the Blue Mountains, is to say, effectively, 'Never mind getting the same rights for the community in the Blue Mountains; we will give you government spin. We will put the government before the community.' It does not matter if it is jobs in the car industry: 'We will put the government before car industry workers.'