Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

If I nod off during this presentation, I'll need my whip to keep an eye on me, because I have delivered a response to these sorts of arguments from the Australian Greens so often I'm tired of hearing my own voice. If I look like I'm nodding off, Senator Williams, you need to intervene.

My favourite story—and we'll start on where the good senator finished; she's well aware of this—is about the chicken prosecution in Western Australia. The chickens are in these big sheds with adequate space that is air-conditioned and climate-controlled. They wanted to free range them, so they hunted all the chickens outside, but as quick as they could get them out the chickens wheeled back in. The chickens preferred that environment—the environment that you don't want them to operate in. They preferred it over free range.

Let's get all this in perspective. I decided the other day that I needed to understand the green movement, the environmental movement, better than I have. You've heard the senator say that I've been labouring under ignorance. So I found what the equivalent is of a peak body for the environmental movement worldwide, and I went to their site. It was very illuminating. Here's where they think the problems are in the world, in part. They tell us that we need to make sure that we don't offend and displace the hidden people, the elves in Ireland or the hags. I didn't know until I read their site that there are not just Italian fairies; there are Welsh fairies, there are Irish fairies and there are Transylvanian fairies. They have big red eyes, the Transylvanian fairies. There are fairies from the Isle of Man. We have wall-to-wall fairies in the environmental movement in this country. I'll laugh as I go through this, but this is serious stuff. This is what you have to do to get inside their heads. This is what's in their heads as they're going through the process to determine what should happen. You are a lone voice in this room, senator—through you, Acting Deputy President. Not even your colleagues have come down to support you, as you try and present this legislation. The chamber's as empty as I've ever seen it.

Then there are the Brazilian shape-shifting dolphin men—