Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

You want to have a talk about negative gearing? I will have a talk about negative gearing every day of the week with you, but the fact of the matter is that I have seen another side to the Labor Party.

Senator Cameron interjecting—

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Penny should be down here. I am watching the two of you. It is only a matter of time now. I can smell the axle grease on the rails. It truly is only a matter of time and she will be gone. We do not have to worry about the changes to Senate reform. She will be gone, you will see to it. I already know when there is trouble in the camp. When you, Senator Conroy, and Senator Carr and one or two others start turning up in committee rooms we know that the democratic process of this Senate and its functions will be disrupted.

This is outrageous. We have a situation here where a non-controversial bill is related and you are going to do anything in your power to frustrate every single step in the operation of this Senate and the government going about its business—a government mandated by the people of Australia. They hunted your mob. Never give another regard to it—you were gone. They were sick and tired of you changing the revolving chairs—Rudd, Gillard, Rudd—and had you stayed there a bit longer there would have been one or two others. Everyone gets a turn in the Labor Party. But the fact of the matter is some of the key people in your party—the likes of Gray, Faulkner and others—respected members who participated for some 2½ years in relation to the development of some transparent measures for this place, have been displaced.

Gary Gray is around there trying to get his head stitched back on. That is how Gary Gray gets rewarded from the Labor movement after all of his years of service.

Senator Conroy interjecting—

Senator Dastyari interjecting—