Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

As I was saying, now that the question is before the chair, this is an attempt by the opposition to be able to try to make more cheap political points, to pursue different debates in ways that might suit their political objectives but of course aren't about trying to bring Australians together, aren't about trying to make sure that we actually seriously get all aspects of the government's approach in relation to reducing emissions, protecting jobs and ensuring that we bring regional communities with us on this journey. No, they're not interested in that. They just want to make sure that the political debates continue, that the cheap point scoring continues. In terms of the approach of the opposition, that's all that it's about. They're not interested in the fact that you need to confront the reality of differing opinions and differing perspectives, and work through those concerns. That's what we've sought to do. They've learnt nothing from the days when Dougie Cameron said that being part of the Labor caucus was a bit like having a political lobotomy: you can't speak your mind and you can't think about some issues, because they're all off the agenda. The government doesn't push issues off the agenda. We're willing to seriously confront those issues—

Debate interrupted.