Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Chandler. The minister has repeatedly made clear throughout this entire debate that her actions were only ever based on one factor, and that was the national interest of Australia.

Throughout this debate, the opposition has repeatedly asserted that Mr Alan Joyce—as opposed to Mr Barnaby Joyce; another Joyce with an interest in aviation—has exerted some sort of influence over this decision. But I also note that the opposition has never been able to provide one skerrick of evidence to back up that assertion. I saw through the referendum campaign that, at one point, Mr Dutton was claiming that Mr Joyce had influenced the Prime Minister's decision about the Voice—again, no evidence; just going around making assertions.

I would invite the opposition to provide just one skerrick of evidence to back up the assertions that it has been making now for weeks. I think it is quite telling that in a debate that has been going on for probably the best part of three months, the opposition has not been able to provide any evidence to back up that assertion.