Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister. Two-thirds of his backbench know that they do not keep their seats with Tony Abbott at the helm, making his captain's picks and guiding them from disaster to disaster. Bullying and intimidation were not enough to keep the backbench members in line. There has been a breakout of people who are sick to the teeth of the Prime Minister's constant promises of improving his behaviour and being more consultative. They have learned their lesson: they simply have to ignore what he says, because his actions have spoken very loudly. He ignores his own backbench in the way he ignores the Australian people.

Senator Abetz refused to comment when questioned about the cruel and unfair tactics that were being used to get members of parliament to back the faltering horse. But who can blame the Liberal backbenchers? They hear one story from their colleagues and they hear a different story from the media. Now they even have the Prime Minister on the phone at the eleventh hour, making conflicting promises to different members and senators to secure his leadership. Is the GP tax gone? The Member for Cowan thinks it is. I wonder where he got that impression. Senator Cormann says it is here to stay. Will our submarines be built in Australia? Senator Edwards thinks so, and he thought so so powerfully that he went out in public yesterday and again this morning, claiming that he had a deal with the Prime Minister to deliver those submarines for South Australia, to have an open tender. But today we have heard all the weasel words again. Tony Abbott obviously still wants them to be built in Japan.

Will the Prime Minister listen to Australians on higher education? Tony Abbott says he will be more consultative. Australians just do not trust him to listen to his backbench, do not trust him to listen to the experts and do not trust him to listen to the community. The Liberal Party promised to be a grown up, adult government that 'thinks before it acts', but the only thing they are thinking of is themselves. The Liberal Party promised to be a no-surprises, no-excuses government, but all we have seen is excuse after excuse from this dysfunctional, untrustworthy Prime Minister and his government.

But after all this the Prime Minister has promised that good government would begin today.