Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I agree that time can be quite an elastic concept in the Senate, but I also love that what might be tax policy is also elastic. Let's have a look at what has happened today under this Liberal government. There's been an announcement that company profits are six times wages growth. So Australians who are struggling to keep up with the cost of living—there would be many such people, perhaps, observing this chamber today—who might be having some trouble keeping up with the cost of living that has occurred under this coalition government, which would have people believe that they are good economic managers, should know it has doubled federal government debt, on Senator Cormann's watch, to over $500 billion. That's where he's up to. Remember, the government voted with the Greens to remove the debt ceiling: 'We are responsible economic managers, so we'll remove the debt ceiling. You don't need to worry about us at all.' What did they do? They doubled federal government debt. At some point, someone is going to have to pay that back.

I want to take note of the answers given by Senator Cormann to questions on the urgent and unplanned Liberal party room meeting last night. Since the rabble of the August coup—coup week, as we like to call it—Prime Minister Morrison has presented himself as some sort of reluctant leader, like he was Moses leading the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. However, day by day it becomes clearer and clearer that he is actually more Niccolo Machiavelli in a baseball cap—that's what he is. He was slowly biding his time, waiting for his chance to Steven Bradbury the prime ministership—and, lo, he has succeeded.

During last month's Q&A appearance, Mr Turnbull slyly refused to answer whether Prime Minister Morrison had been acting in good faith during the leadership debacle. He's no longer holding back, and now we have the full display of the former Prime Minister telling us what he really thinks—not just on personalities in the Liberal Party but also, today, on energy policy. I'm sure he has been a great help to everyone. Yesterday it was reported that he told the New South Wales Liberal state executive that the current Prime Minister was delaying the election to keep his—I won't use the word he used—bottom in C1, the prime ministerial vehicle. But if Prime Minister Morrison was such a loyal deputy and believes these new changes are necessary, why didn't he advocate for them when Mr Turnbull was Prime Minister? Why did he previously say that regulating for culture is never effective?

As I say, time is an elastic concept in here. Let's go to why Senator Cormann said on ABC breakfast TV just this morning—that's many hours ago, so quite a long time ago for the government—'Obviously, we have been thinking about this for some time.' Now, how would one define 'some time'? If you were from the government, you would define it as, as he then goes on to say: 'The leadership group has been talking about this proposal last week.' As Harold Wilson, a twice-serving British Prime Minister, said, 'A week is a long time in politics,' but a week is an especially long time in politics for this government. But then Senator Cormann went on—my favourite part of his interview this morning—to say, 'We are very keen to ensure that people across Australia can have confidence that, if they elect Scott Morrison as Prime Minister at the next election, Scott Morrison will be the Prime Minister all the way through to the subsequent election.' I mean, you wouldn't believe these people. Why wouldn't you believe them? Because they have not actually told the truth about policy or about their own leadership machinations. We have not had a word of truth from them for some time.

There is perhaps a temptation for some to idealise the fallen Prime Minister and his virtue-signalling clan. He was a terrible Prime Minister. He has been a terrible former Prime Minister. He's only being exceeded in his terribleness by the current Prime Minister. The Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison maladministration has been a team effort that has doubled federal government debt in five years, a team effort that has allowed wages to flatline while company profits have grown six times faster and a team effort that has allowed energy policy to occupy every position on the political spectrum. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.