Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Maybe it is because I am young and new to this place, but every time I have come into question time in this chamber this week I have been continually disappointed by the tone of questions asked by those opposite. We are elected by Australians who live in hope that we might do things in the best interests of this country, that we might come in here and debate policy. But instead we have had three days of questions about something that, I have to say, I do not think most Australians are interested in; they are not interested in mudslinging that is going on from those opposite. The people who come into the public gallery and the students who come here each day for question time must be so disappointed by what they see in this group of people, the opposition, who are supposed to hold the government to account. What has been demonstrated every day this week is that the best they have got is 'gotcha politics': 'This is what someone said, we believe, and this is what someone else said'—and it does not quite match up. I do not think the Australian people think that is what politicians are here for, to be quite frank.

Those opposite have demonstrated that they are completely out of touch with average Australia, thinking that we really ought to come in here and land a blow—