Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

Labor's motion is just a smokescreen to distract people from understanding that Labor have rolled over to Minister Dutton in not supporting my motion to disallow the Aviation Transport Security Amendment (Security Controlled Airports) Regulation. Disallowance would force the government to address the disastrous cost its new security regime will impose on small regional airports to the detriment of regional communities. Senator Keneally doesn't like Mr Dutton, but it's clear she and her Labor colleagues are scared of him. They're scared that he'll portray them as weak on national security issues. If they were to have some courage and were committed to both security and regional Australia, Labor would help to force the minister's hand so that we can get sensible cost-sharing arrangements in place. They're all bark and not a lot of bite.