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

No, it was not your fault. No, I did not say, 'You collapsed the bill.' The bill being debated beforehand collapsed, and then there was confusion in the chamber about what happened, and a vote was put, and nothing was recorded. There was not a desire by the Labor senators not to speak on this bill, as Senator Whish-Wilson is attempting to portray. This is a complete and utter fabrication that you are constructing to distract from your guilty conscience. Well, you are not going to get away with this. I know Senator Dastyari is going to speak at some considerable length on this particular issue so that the truth is on Hansard, not the fabrications that you have put onto the Hansard today. When you pick up the phone and answer, you are not going to be able to say, 'See what I said on Hansard,' because the truth will be on Hansard, not what you are attempting to portray as the truth. You have a guilty conscience, Senator Whish-Wilson, and I understand that. Sorry, my apologies.