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

I rise to speak today in great sadness at having to witness, yet again, the conservatives crawl into the demolition of our constitutional framework. What we had today is the ghost of 1975 revisited upon us, the long-dead arm of Sir John Kerr, crawling out of his grave to participate in a travesty of democracy in this country. What we saw is a blight on our democracy today.

We have seen a democratically elected Senate's decision overturned by the Queen's representative. That is what is at the heart of why are here today. There is no pretence this is a normal process that has gone on. You just had to look around the chamber today. Where were the High Court justices? Where were the heads of our military? Where were the hats of our diplomatic community? All were told, 'Don't come today'—because it is a political stunt. It is not a real opening of the parliament. In fact, they were not just told 'Don't come'; but 'Please, don't come. We don't want to pretend to the Australian public that this is a real proroguing of the parliament for the purposes that it has been used for traditionally.'

This is an absolute affront. We have seen today a Governor-General overturn the will of this chamber, a democratically elected chamber. That is what we have seen. We have seen a tawdry political stunt, and the Governor-General has demeaned his office—