Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Sorry, Mr President. Through the chair, it is a reflection on the negotiating ability of those opposite, who are incapable of managing this chamber. They are incapable of managing a simple conversation with Senator Leyonhjelm, Senator Day, Senator Lazarus and Senator Lambie, and then they come in here and complain and blame everybody else. It has been demonstrated by the statements that I have referred to. Even Senator Macdonald, Mr President, has given them a serve today. He has talked about how they will not listen. He has talked about how they have a tin ear. We have had the Liberal Party economics backbench committee refuse to consider a bill put forward for the medical research fund because they were sick of being railroaded by this government. So they have the crossbench senators sick of it, they have the backbench senators sick of it and they have the chamber sick of it, and they come in here and try and blame somebody else. They have to have an absolute good look at themselves, because they have nobody but themselves to blame for the debacle they are faced with at the moment.