Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I think that is the most pathetic argument—if you could even call it an argument—as to why the proper process in this place should not go ahead. This is a government that is an absolute chaos. They are an absolute rabble. Really, they should not bring the rabble that is their party room into this place, because that is what this is. They as a government just do not what is going on from day to day.

To say that we should not follow process on this, and get up and give us 30 seconds about why we should not follow process, is totally unacceptable. We have a position where there are issues that have to be dealt with appropriately and effectively through the processes of the Senate. Just because those opposite do a dirty, rotten deal with the Greens they think they can come in here and disrupt everything about process and procedure. We are not going to cop this. You need to convince us why this should be done. You stood up and you failed to do that. It is totally unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable.

The minister has been here long enough to understand that there are issues that we can deal with. There are issues that he can sit down and talk to the opposition about. This is not one of them, when you run this line, when you simply stand up and try and breach the proper processes of the parliament.

We are not unattracted to looking at how we can make things work better in this place. But I will tell you what we are not prepared to do. We are not prepared to cop the chaos of your party room coming back in here because you cannot make up your mind about how you get a tax policy in this country. When you have a Prime Minister who is so weak and so jellybacked that he cannot stand up to the right wing of the party on economic issues then this is unacceptable. The reason you are in such chaos about your procedures in this parliament is that you are not cohesive in what you do in relation to your policy and your party.

We see the minister, Senator Cormann, is now talking to Senator Di Natale to try and stitch up another deal. Senator Di Natale is going to make the Australian Democrats look as if they were strong. All that Senator Cormann has to do is go down and eyeball Senator Di Natale and Senator Di Natale goes into the foetal position. He just curls up. He just gives in: 'Don't give me any more arguments! I give in.' That is the Greens in this place. They roll over as soon as any pressure is put on them

The position that is being put forward by the minister is not consistent with the standing orders. He simply wants to try and bring things on and get the debate curtailed. This is the place where you have to have debate. The sooner the Greens understand that there is a proper process, the sooner the Greens understand that they should not just give in every time that Senator Cormann wanders down and pulls their chain—here is the chain getting pulled again! Senator Cormann and Senator Di Natale are in deep, deep discussion about how they can get this through, how they can overcome the proper processes in this place. It is really pathetic.

I was saying that the Prime Minister should grow a backbone. Senator Di Natale, you should grow one. You should stand up to the intimidation of the National Party and the Liberal Party. When the National Party are congratulating the Greens day in, day out we have a problem. Grow a backbone. Stand up to the intimidation. Be the party that says, 'You should be …,' not what you are at the moment, a grovelling party not doing— (Time expired)