Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would be failing in my duty as a senator for the state of Queensland or indeed as a senator at all if I let the absolute and abject hypocrisy that you have heard from the last two speakers go unchallenged. Could I just remind those who were here—and for those who were not here, can I tell them—of the fact that after the 2010 election the Labor government, with the full support of the Greens political party, did pork barrel after pork barrel after pork barrel and went nowhere near Infrastructure Australia, let alone this parliament. They did not go anywhere near Infrastructure Australia. What hypocrisy of the last two speakers, saying that we need to do this!

I have come into this debate recently, but I think the coalition should support Senator Leyonhjelm's amendment in the hope that Senator Cameron's amendments do get up, because Senator Cameron's amendments are bad but they would be better if Senator Leyonhjelm's amendment to the amendment were carried so that you did not have to bring it back and have 76 senators deciding on which assets should be sold around Australia. It is just crazy.

In this rare instance I will do what the majority of our side is going to do, but I would urge them to think about Senator Leyonhjelm's argument—