Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I must be getting used to this place. It's been 15 months since I was elected and I think this is the first day that I have felt truly jaded. I am so sick of us talking about ourselves. We are constantly talking about ourselves. Don't you think that the public is sick to death of hearing us talking about ourselves?

We have so many bigger issues to deal with, and yet we're talking about preference deals. We're talking about what was said in estimates. We're talking about citizenship over and over again. This is madness. We are here to govern. The parliament is supposed to be a solemn place. It is supposed to be a place of considered deliberation. It is supposed to be a contest of ideas, and we are talking about ourselves again—this time, under the shroud of domestic violence. The argument we're having here today in the motion to take note of answers is not about domestic violence, and yet domestic violence is such an important issue. It's an issue that we desperately need to take seriously, and yet you are using it as political opportunism. I find it totally shameful.

There are so many things that we could be talking about. We could be talking about tax policy. We could be talking about tax reform. We could be talking about the $150 million of extra taxes that the Labor Party intend to impose on an unsuspecting public, but they won't talk about that. What they want to talk about is themselves again. We could be talking about energy policy—a transformative energy policy that has been proposed in this place. We have discussed over and over again how important affordable and reliable energy is, and yet the Labor Party—who are completely tied up in knots over their ridiculous and irrational ideological obsession with their Renewable Energy Target—don't want to talk about energy policy. I can understand why, because it is so politically unpopular for you. You don't want to talk about that. What you want to talk about is yourselves, again. Don't you see how frustrated the public are with us talking about ourselves?

If you want to talk about domestic violence, fine, let's talk about domestic violence. The Turnbull government's first cabinet decision was to dedicate $100 million to domestic violence. There is nothing that this government should hang its head in shame for on the issue of domestic violence. In fact, we should stand proud for all that we've done. Please, let me enlighten you to some extent about what has been done by this government in the area of domestic violence. We have dedicated $100 million to technology and to police and healthcare training. Prime Minister Turnbull has taken the lead on this cultural change and, indeed, so has the Attorney-General. In fact, he was speaking just the other day about new specialist domestic violence units—$3.4 million in funding committed to establish six new domestic violence units and support for the expansion of an existing one, ensuring more women can receive the vital legal and social support they need. Family violence is truly devastating. It devastates the lives of tens of thousands of Australians. It affects women and children of all demographics and leaves scars that may last a lifetime on the children who suffer and witness it. Yet what you have done today is shameful. What you have done is pure political opportunism. Rather than talking about what's important in this place, which is debating and contesting ideas—rather than talking about tax reform, energy reform, the new trade agreement with Peru or banking and superannuation reforms—you have taken a truly important issue that affects so many, that has devastated so many lives, and you have created a political hobbyhorse.

This is a place of dignity. It is a place of solemn and thorough consideration of issues. There will always be political argy-bargy, but your insinuations and accusations today are completely out of line, and you know it. The integrity of senators here has never been in doubt. It's never been in doubt by the leadership. It's never been in doubt in my mind and, let's face it, it's never been in doubt in your mind either. What you have done today is political opportunism. It is opportunistic deflection at best; it is shameless and immoral disingenuousness at worst. I hope you hang your heads in shame, because this is not what this place is for.