Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

The rank transparency of the Leader of the Greens is shown by this. Even if we were to believe everything that Labor, with their exaggerated hyperbole, would have us believe—even if we were to believe all that, why was it that Senator Milne refused to utter a single word when the seat that Senator Johnston now occupies was occupied by one Senator Bob Carr, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, who, throughout the whole 18 months that he was Minister for Foreign Affairs, maintained his shareholding in a lobbying company, RJ Carr Pty Ltd? Where was the moral outrage from the Greens? They were in lock step with the Labor government. They did nothing about ministerial standards when there was a very clear breach. Might I add, the Standard of Ministerial Ethics requires:

… Ministers divest themselves of investments and other interests in any public or private company or business …

Throughout Senator Bob Carr's 18-month reign in this place as foreign minister, Senator Milne stood guiltily silent—a very guilty silence. Why? Because she was in cahoots, maintaining that dysfunctional and disgraceful government on life support. The Australian people have spoken—