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

I popped a couple of valium in the break—I hope they kick in before I get through to the end of my contribution here today. To have to sit here and endure listening to the absolute hypocrisy of an opposition that wants to raise issues in relation to this matter is regrettable. I take up Senator Ruston's comments about how you want to discuss this but you do not want to talk about budget repair; you do not want to talk about repairing the massive debt you left this nation, between yourselves and the Greens.

You do not want to consider what might be possible in this nation if we were not paying $1 billion a month on interest bills on the debt and the legacy left to following generations by the Labor government. You want to talk about $160 million wasted on free speech, as you have referred to it, in the plebiscite. You do not want to talk about the billions of dollars invested in pink batts in this nation. You do not want to talk about the billions of dollars incurred in this nation as a result of your policy failures in immigration and the 1,200 people who died on the high seas and the thousands of children that you had in custody at the time that there was a change of government. You do not want to talk about any of those issues. You want to talk about this government, which has now decided—and properly so—to go to the Australian people on what, in my view, is one of the most critical questions to have come before a modern society in the last four or five decades.

There are many of us who are very interested in this question of marriage equality, as it is loosely referred to. Marriage equality is not just about two people being able to marry. This potentially has impacts on defining who a mum is. It has impacts on defining who a dad is. We will have to change the definition of 'parenting' if we rely upon all the traditional definitions that have been available to society. I think, unlike anybody on that side, that the Australian people are entitled to be involved in this question and to express themselves, whatever that expression may be.

This particular question is too significant, too important, to be put before a parliament. Today the good people up in the gallery sat and watched, and I saw them hang their heads on many occasions during the performance. Some of the grubbiest contributions that I have seen in my time in this place came from the crossbench today in question time. These are the sorts of people that you want to be able to rely upon for your judgement and your contribution to this important decision. Well, I say to you: you are disqualified. You are historically disqualified from making a contribution. What the government has decided, under the leadership of Malcolm Turnbull, is that it will ask the people of Australia to address this significantly important question.

My question to you is: what have you got against democracy? What have you got against going directly to the people of Australia and giving them an opportunity to express themselves on this significantly important question? No, you did not even want to spend time on that today, except for the loaded question at the beginning. You wanted to talk about grubby issues.

Senator McKim interjecting—

Listen, can I say through you, Madam Acting Deputy President, that Senator McKim should sit silently. You are new here, but I tell you that you are in close coalition with this mob opposite. Your party is responsible equally for these legacies, these massive debt legacies. When I arrived here we were hardly talking in the billions; we were still in hundreds of millions—until the end of the Labor contribution, where we now have—

Senator McKim interjecting—

Well, my personal wealth! Through you, Madam Acting Deputy President, this is what is happening in this place. When you do not like what is coming into your ears, you start to revert to personal attacks, just like we saw from Senator Cameron here today. It was a disgraceful performance. It really does diminish the reputation of this chamber right across the nation when we hear contributions like we did today. It was an absolute shocker. I withdrew my comments about Senator Cameron. I would still be standing here withdrawing them if I withdrew them on every occasion I called him by that name. So I say to you: this government is leading; it is showing leadership in the nation. The country is behind us. Let us have the plebiscite and put this question to rest. (Time expired)