Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think what's become clear is that the acting lessons that Senator Cash has had are compulsory on the other side, because we've just seen another performance. There is a serious element to this, and Senator Moore explained this. Election campaigns often put a spotlight on policy. That's what's happened in Queensland with the One Nation policy on domestic violence. Basically what this means is that One Nation's domestic violence policy supports violent fathers having visitation rights despite court issued protection orders. That is what their policy is. That is what is on the One Nation website. The reality is that the fact that the Liberals are preferencing One Nation in 49 seats means that, if One Nation wins seats in Queensland, it is going to be because of their preferences. That is the reality; that is why this is a serious issue.

I just wanted to take up the point that Senator Macdonald raised, because I can't let that sit. No party in Australia has done more than the Queensland branch of the Labor Party to defeat One Nation. In every election since One Nation have been on the scene, we have put them last. We will do that in this election campaign and we will continue to do it for as long as One Nation exists.

Mr Acting Deputy President Sterle, you'd be aware of this: if there's one thing you'd say about Senator Cash it is that she is a vigilant minister. She is so vigilant that we know that on occasion her office tips off journos to get down to see a raid that's going on. But you'd have to say on this issue that she's been less than vigilant. We raised this serious issue. Senator Cash had the opportunity to condemn it, but Senator Cash did not. I think that speaks volumes for the relationship between One Nation and the Liberal-National Party in this chamber and indeed across Australia. Since I got elected, I've seen the way that they've operated in this place. We know that One Nation vote with the LNP 85 per cent of the time in the Senate. We know how important those votes are and the damage that it does to Queenslanders and Australians. We know they voted for anti-work laws. We know they voted to cut pensions. We know they voted for education cuts as well, and there's been a pattern around Australia. We know what they did in WA for the state election. Mr Acting Deputy President Sterle, you know that particularly well, given that's your home state. We also know what is going on in Queensland, where the LNP are preferencing One Nation in 49 seats. This will have consequences.

Senator Macdonald mentioned Thuringowa. He didn't mention the how-to-vote card his home seat of Burdekin. I've got it here in front of me, and the LNP will be preferencing, No. 2, Sam Cox, One Nation candidate, ahead of the Labor Party. In the seat where he actually lives, they're preferencing One Nation ahead of Labor. You might say something different in Thuringowa, but we know what they're doing in Burdekin and we know what they are doing in 49 seats across the state. This will be the key point between now and the election; indeed, this will go to the next federal election as well.

Tim Nicholls likes to say he will provide stability, but you can't provide stability when you're preferencing One Nation in 49 seats. You are the ones who are going to be responsible for electing more of them to parliament at the state level, and it is something that you will wear around your necks. The voting record that we're seeing is something that will be an issue in the state campaign, and it will also be an issue in the lead-up to the next federal campaign. We know that former Senator Roberts made the quick switch across to run in Ipswich. It's already becoming a dominant issue in Ipswich. We know the record of Senator Roberts. We know that he was a former Liberal. We know that he will be someone who would potentially be a Treasurer in a Nicholls LNP government. This is what it has become. It's become a coalition—a Liberal-National Party-One Nation coalition operating in the Senate—and it will be coming to Queensland soon enough as well.

If stability is going to be the focus of this election campaign, whilst the LNP are doing what they are with preferences, whilst they are preferencing One Nation in 49 seats, they don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to stability. They will be the ones responsible for electing more One Nation members to parliament. They will be the ones who will do a deal with them to form government. And we know what the consequences will be—we've seen it played out across Australia, and it will be something that will be coming to Queensland—cuts to basic services, cuts to health and a focus on whacky conspiracy theories, when what Queensland needs is a stable Labor government, and it's only Annastacia Palaszczuk who can provide that. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.