Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to begin by saying that was a fantastic speech, Senator McKim, especially the end part. On day one can we just try and restrain some of the crazy that has become this chamber. You have Senator Bernardi who is quitting a party that he runs! Who leaves a party that does whatever you want them to do? If you are already running the Liberal Party, you do not leave it. You have Senator di Natale getting up here and pulling on a ridiculous stunt—to have something as significant as looking at the entirety of the Australia-US relationship discussed in the mode of a suspension of standing orders with five minutes notice. The Senate has not been sitting for months. There has been plenty of opportunity to have a proper kind of debate. Frankly, the idea that the relationship between Australia and America is not strong enough to get past different individuals is absurd. Yes, a ban on majority Muslim countries is abhorrent to people. Yes, a lot of what is going on in the United States should and deserves to be called out when we disagree with it because we are their friends and because we are their allies. But the idea that you are going to completely restructure a relationship as part of a ridiculous stunt on the first day of the Senate—maybe it is time for a bit of left renewal. Maybe Senator di Natale believes there are people in his own party who do not think he is left-wing enough and so he takes more and more extreme positions. What I am really upset about in this debate is that I am putting myself in a position where I will be voting with Senator Roberts. That is bad from me and bad to Senator Roberts!