Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President. The member for Hume, when speaking on this bill, quoted Thomas Jefferson as saying: 'That government is best which governs least.' I must say that placing such emphasis on the correction of typos could certainly be described as governing least. There is, however, no record of Thomas Jefferson ever uttering those words. No, that famous quote is better attributed to Henry David Thoreau. He wrote in his essay on Civil Disobedience:

I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto,—"That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe,—"That government is best which governs not at all";

As the Liberal Party ignores the challenges facing Australia and, instead, descends into internalised brawling and leadership speculation, we already have a government which governs not at all. Unlike Thoreau, I do not think this is to be welcomed.