Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I know that Labor is not to blame for the terrible harm that is being caused to Tasmanian farmers over this issue, but, even if it comes in on 1 January, I can assure you it is too late. They need some certainty. The whole rotting backpacker mess has been caused by the gutless and dysfunctional Liberal Party and National Party, and their leaders should be publically flogged for what they have done to my Tasmanian farmers, let alone what they have done to the mainland farmers. However, I want the Labor members of this place to know that I will be very, very upset if you unnecessarily delay the passage of this backpacker legislation. Our farmers need certainty and they need it very quickly.

I have presented to your shadow minister, whom I happen to like a lot—this is a decent man and I could have a beer with him, no problem—a compromise plan that strikes the right balance between the government's 19 per cent and the Greens zero per cent. To resolve this problem, I have placed a call to Bill Shorten's office and asked for a meeting. He has agreed to a meeting with me on Thursday and also wants to talk about Labor's position on banks, which at the moment I am happy to listen to. Secondly, I am going to address Mr Finlay from the National Farmers Federation and other representatives of peak farming organisations, who I hope are listening to me very carefully. Just after the public square is cleared of Liberal and National Party members who have been horsewhipped because of their criminally negligent behaviour in the management of this backpacker tax matter, Mr Finlay from the National Farmers Federation and other representatives of peak farming organisations should be also horsewhipped because they have betrayed their own farmers. Because of their continual brown-nosing to the coalition, they also have ensured that their members will lose millions of dollars and face unnecessary financial hardships.

My message is: do not catch the Barnaby disease. Grow a backbone, at least have half a brain and start standing up for your damn farmers! It should not take me in here to do your job! Do not act as though you fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down. If you stood up in front of a camera, did the job you were paid to do and told the media that the government's 19 per cent is not going to fix the problem, and at 10.5 per cent a new backpacker tax has half a chance of remedying the long-term damage the Libs and Nats have already caused, then maybe you deserve to keep your jobs and avoid that public flogging.

The National Farmers Federation has been a training and recruiting ground for the conservative side of politics in Australia. Well, now is the time for the NFF executive to forget about their budding conservative political futures and put their farmers first. The next time you get a phone call from the Deputy Prime Minister and back him up, tell him about the hardship of your farmers, especially the young ones out there, instead of jumping and asking how high. Better still, tell him not to cause the problem in the first bloody place!

Turning to a different matter, I have been approached by a private in the Australian Army. I will not disclose his name tonight. Indeed, I hope I never have to disclose his name. He has a protected identity and is still technically serving in the military. The majority of his service had been fulfilled as a Green Beret in the Commando Regiment. Since joining the Army directly after high school, he has conducted one tour of East Timor and four tours of Afghanistan. Other areas of his service include duties as a shooter on the federal domestic counterterrorism team and close personal protection for members of parliament throughout the Middle East area of operations. Unfortunately, in his service he has seen many of his close friends killed on duty. He tells me that, after being diagnosed with lower spinal injuries, PTSD and major depression in late 2011, he was told by his senior commanders to 'F off and go home before anyone else gets sick.' At the time, the commanders were concerned that mental health issues were a sign of weakness, and they were also greatly concerned about the effect that mental health cases would have on their ability to conduct future operations. I have been told that at a military welfare board the soldier was put though appalling treatment by senior members of the military, whose actions give me the impression that they think they are untouchable.

I have to thank the Minister for Defence. She has agreed to meet with this veteran and me this week. We are going to get to the bottom of what is happening in the Army's military welfare boards, because what I am hearing is that welfare is the last thing they are delivering to our diggers. Based on the defence minister's care and consideration with other matters I have brought before her, I expect to see a dramatic improvement in the way the Army are conducting their welfare boards.