Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

The answer is no. I'm not even aware of whether or not Woodside make donations to the Labor Party. I know Senator Patrick is asserting that, but if that logic holds true then every donation that Senator Patrick has ever received would influence his vote and the donations of people like Graeme Wood and professional gambling outfits that the Greens have received would influence their voting decisions as well. I question Senator Patrick and the Greens on whether the donations they have received have influenced their decisions. This is a circular argument. We have made our position clear. We actually moved a second reading amendment to this bill, which a range of parties didn't support. We have attempted to improve this bill through that amendment. I know that the crossbench lives to criticise the Labor Party and to take votes and seats off the Labor Party. But I would encourage the crossbench to think about the fact that this is government legislation, and it may be a better use of your time to focus on the government's activities rather than continuing to attack the Labor Party. I've got a newsflash for you: we're not the government.