Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This is the fifth attempt to try and fix up the shemozzle. This is what it is all about. How could you have five goes at it? Because you could not get it right! You embarrassed yourselves. You are that arrogant at times I cannot believe it. It would not have happened in the Howard government, but it is happening here. You had a half-day inquiry and within 64 minutes the minister was in here bragging about how great an effort you had made!

This is the point which I was getting to. I was getting to that before they started getting the tear ducts going. It is absolutely embarrassing. The arrogance of thinking that the government, because they have their mates over there—they are all in bed together with their pyjamas buttoned up. They do not have to do the hard work. They do not have to go out there and sell it. They do not have to tell the truth. In the Minister's view, they do not even have to answer Senators' questions.

You can treat the Australian Labor Party with all the contempt that you want. But how disgusting! As I am sitting here in my chair keeping my mouth shut, you could not even have the decency, Minister Cormann, to answer Senator Day's questions. You did not even have the decency to answer Senator Lambie's questions. You had no decency when Senator Muir was trying to ask something. If you could see your behaviour from this side of the chamber you would sit back and think, 'Why did I come across as being so arrogant and so rude?' It was not clever at all. You can whack us; that is fine. I just want people to see that.

That mob in the corner—if you thought that was a good look too, you have completely lost whatever political morals you have. You cannot defend it. Senator Siewert can jump up and pull the harp out and start saying, 'We're sick of hearing all this.' The truth does hurt—I have learnt that. You are all guilty. You are up at the same election as me, Senator Siewert. We have already heard some of the experts who have said that the Greens have gone into this with their eyes wide shut. While we are having numerous attempts to try and fix this shocking legislation that you are trying to put through, they actually mentioned that you, Senator Siewert, could be one of the ones who are out of here at the next election. You could very well be. Or it could be Senator Ludlam. It is getting even better, because the experts even said that in South Australia this could be the end of Senator Simms. It could be the end of Senator Hanson-Young. I do not know. But don't stand up there and get all cranky because the truth is hitting you. I have sat here for 11 years with you. I have not agreed on a lot of things with you, but one thing I could always say is that the Greens were a protest party and you knew where they sat. We never would have seen previous Senators Brown and Milne doing any deal like this.

You have to own up to the consequences that you are delivering to working class people. I have to say this one more time: think of the number of students who rely on their penalty rates, working in pubs or in the retail and hospitality industries. My old mate sitting to the left of me is the expert on retail, not me. I do not think many of Senator Bullock's members will go out there and thank the Greens for giving the government the opportunity, should they desire, to remove penalty rates. I am not making this up, because many government senators have made speeches about it in this place. I think Senator Canavan was the last one talking about removing penalty rates. This is not something that Sterle is making up. You should keep your heads very low. In fact, you should keep your heads in here, if you have half a moral fibre in your body. I do not know how you are going to go back to Western Australia, Senator Siewert, because I am going to have so much pleasure in telling everyone in Western Australia that they can thank Senator Siewert. You can give me the death stare and the hairy eyeball as much you like, Senator Siewert. The truth of the matter is that you are up to here in it. You are guilty as charged. So is Senator Ludlam. There was a rumour that this was just Senator Di Natale and Senator Whish-Wilson, and the rest were shut out of it. I am not buying that. You are all tainted with the same brush.

To go back to my original argument, someone said that Senator Cormann pushed out his chest and said we would be here till Easter. I can tell you right now that that does not worry this side of the chamber, because the more people who hear what you are proposing, the better. You could not even get it right the second time. You could not get it right the third time. You could not get it right the fourth time. How many more times will there be? You do not have to have more times, because we have seen the way that Minister Cormann and the Greens are going to do this. It is just a raw numbers game and we know what is going to happen: you will bring the gag on. That is fine. I am not inviting you to, but you may as well, because the Greens have assisted you gagging everything else that was so precious to the Greens. Marriage equality—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Come in, spinner! Fantastic! The big marriage equality advocates over on the other side of the chamber went with the government. And you think that is a fantastic look. I really, really wish that this were broadcast not just on ABC or APAC now and again; I really wish it were broadcast through the commercial channels so many Australians can see the turncoat attitude of the Greens party and Senator Di Natale. You say that one day you will be the party in government. My goodness me. It is getting better every week. (Time expired)