Cory Bernardi (SA, Australian Conservatives) Share this | Hansard source

but I care more about the integrity of this parliament, confidence in the body politic and the future of this country than I do about the short-term pain of Senator Dastyari. When I said, 'I bear him no ill will,' I heard mocking laughter from Senator Kim Carr. That is just extraordinary, but it goes to the heart of the problem that eats away at Labor. It's always about them. It's always about the tribe. Unfortunately for Senator Carr and others, the country is much more important than their political status or tribalism. By supporting Senator Dastyari, by allowing him to stay in that red tribe on that side of the chamber and by allowing him to pollute the integrity of the body politic here, they are diminishing the standards that are expected by the Australian people.

Words like 'traitor' have been used; I don't want to get into that. But the point is that Senator Dastyari has been acting in his interest against the national interest. He's been acting in the Chinese interest against the Labor Party's interest. He's been acting in his financial interest against the interest of the country and this parliament. What more do we have to know to say he shouldn't be here? He shouldn't be here because we deserve better and Australia deserves better. If the Labor Party want to continue to defend him, it's an indictment on their character and their integrity. They would be much better served, the country would be much better served and Senator Dastyari would be much better served, quite frankly, by cutting the strings. Let him go and work for some Chinese billionaire outside of this place, if that's what he wants to do. Let him peddle his brand of influence in politics outside of this chamber. Let him influence the Labor Party and be promised whatever he likes from Mr Shorten should he attain government later on, but let's cut the thread that stinks to high heaven—the thread of corruption, the thread of crookedness, the thread that always seems to lead to Sussex Street. That is the problem. Do not defend it, I say to the Labor Party. Do not defend it to yourselves. Do not defend it to the Australian people. Do what's in the interests of the country. Do what's in the interests of your party and do what's in the long-term interests of Senator Dastyari. Cut him loose. Tell him to announce his resignation and tell Mr Shorten to actually grow a spine and say something powerful rather than demonstrate how captured he is by the power of the Sussex Street mob.