Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by ministers to all questions without notice asked today.

I know we're all very excited about the Matildas at the moment, and everyone has a newfound enthusiasm for women's football. But there have been a number of own goals from those opposite, and I'm not quite sure that's how the game should be played. In today's question time, getting information and answers proved impossible, as usual.

What we did see, and what we've seen over the past couple of weeks, is who is the weakest link when it comes to answering questions. Do you remember that game show that used to be on Channel 9, The Weakest Link? I think we know that that would be Senator Gallagher. When Senator Kitching made reference to Mean Girls, she didn't tell us who was who, but I think we now see that Senator Gallagher must be the Karen. Those of us that have watched the movie know what her special talent was. She could not answer a question today about political advertising—advertising that is unauthorised—aside from the fact that taxpayer funds are being used to publish an ad promoting the Voice but not promoting unauthorised argument. She was asked if she thought that it was appropriate for taxpayers' money to be spent on that and had zero answer, because she hadn't seen the ad. She hadn't seen the eight-page spread that was being put out. She couldn't answer. Wasn't Senator Gallagher once the Special Minister of State, or didn't she have some authority overlooking elections? Was she part of a process around this? Yet she didn't have the first clue as to whether unauthorised advertising using taxpayer funds was allowed. Well, I can tell you—bam-bow: it's not, Senator Gallagher. You might want to get yourself up to speed on the rules when it comes to the Voice and spending taxpayers' money.

We know that Australian taxpayers fund $40 billion in direct supports to Indigenous Australians, but the whole point of that money is that it's given to Indigenous Australians who need it, not just those who are related to, friends with or somehow in bed with those that run the land councils. We had a discussion last night, as this bastion of transparency and integrity—which, of course, we know this government is not. We qualified last night that that was just a slogan they put out, along with the $275 that was coming off our power bills. We learnt last night that both the Greens and those opposite oppose an inquiry put up by three Indigenous women to have a look into the inappropriate use of funds by Aboriginal land councils. The thing is they keep telling us we need a voice because we need to listen to communities. Communities are asking for these things, but they're the wrong kinds of communities for those opposite; they're the wrong kinds of voices for those that sit up that end of the chamber. So we get the beautiful whitesplaining like we got from Senator Pratt yesterday during this debate. It was fantastic. I notice Senator Thorpe called her out for that as well. It's just extraordinary.

The Central Land Council gives out $80.2 million. It was supposed to be given to Indigenous communities that are actually part of that land council. The Auditor-General's report said that the situation around governance there was not up to speed when it came to looking at conflicts of interest or fraud—conflicts of interest or fraud. The biggest conflict of interest that was even alluded to by Senator Pratt last night was the fact that these funds were given out on a whim: who was closest, who were the people they knew and who they liked. It was disgraceful. And these are taxpayer funds. Yet those opposite continue their absolute tirade. The behaviour—the stunt that has been pulled today. Again, Senator Pratt, you're the star this week! I don't know what you've done to deserve it, but here you are, putting up motions against your own government's policy!