Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on this motion to take note of answers. For me, listening to question time today, it was the perfect demonstration yet again of why the Australian public is so disillusioned in all of us in this chamber. The questions from those opposite and what I have heard during this take note really highlight the divide between both sides of this chamber. First of all, Senator Pratt just said that not all views are equal. I have got to say, that again highlights the ideological difference between those opposite and those on this side. We on this side firmly believe that the views of all Australians matter, that they count, and not just those of the ideological left. All views count and that is absolutely replicated in our party room.

So not only am I happy to defend, along with my colleague Senator Fawcett, the process that we have gone through to date but I am actually very proud of it and I will tell you the reasons why. As we know, to do nothing on this critically important issue is not an option. Let's have a look at the process. COAG commissioned a review on this critically important issue of energy security by none other than our Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, and there was no better to undertake this review. I commend him and his team for the production of this report. There are 50 critically important recommendations for all of us in our party rooms and in this chamber to discuss.

The report was delivered to COAG on Friday. On Tuesday this week, we had a brilliant brief by Minister Josh Frydenberg, who I commend for his work in this very challenging policy area. We had a great brief, a very comprehensive brief. My colleagues got together again later that afternoon after we had had an opportunity to digest some more of the report. Yes, it was discussed. Yes, it was robust but it was respectful and comprehensive. This is absolutely no different a process than we have in our party room all the time. Unlike those opposite, unlike Senator Pratt, we believe every single voice in our community counts, as Senator Fawcett said. We represent quite a broad church in our party room but that is a strength, not a weakness as those opposite seem to assert. We have had a great robust discussion on the report. The government no doubt will go away and look further into the issues that have been raised in the party room and come back to the party room in due course unlike those opposite, who clearly spent their party room time yesterday discussing all of these great zingers, all of these great insults they can throw our way—knuckle draggers, ideologues, those sorts of things.