Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

Well, Mr President, isn't listing the address-in-reply a straight-up admission from the Morrison government that it is a government in name only? Where is the Morrison government's agenda? Where are the Morrison government's priorities? Listing the address-in-reply at this stage of the process is laughable and only highlights the chaos that is this Morrison government.

We have reached a point where the Morrison team has rolled a Prime Minister but still hasn't explained to the parliament, still hasn't explained in the Senate in question time when asked on many occasions and, more importantly, still hasn't explained to the Australian people why that had to occur. Why did they have to roll the Prime Minister? And this government have now demonstrated to us that they have no clear agenda and no legislative program. Indeed, they have just cancelled COAG because, we assume, as no explanation has been provided, they have no agenda. Problems exist across the board in many serious policy areas. The NDIS has serious issues that need to be addressed at COAG, but no meeting will occur. Schools are not funded for next year and no progress has been made with states and territories that educate the majority of Australian students, but no COAG meeting will occur.

And now, in the Senate, we return to the address-in-reply. I look forward to when we get back to this debate after question time so the Australian public can understand that this address-in-reply is simply filling the void in this government's agenda. This address-in-reply should have been progressed, as indeed it was in the House, 12 months ago. But it has languished here—