Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Hansard source

Oh my God—for Senator Pratt to come in and double-down and absolutely walk that back as a question is just breathtaking. It is gobsmacking. I was here to take note of answers today and I was actually planning to take note of another pathetic display that we saw by Senator Murray Watt regarding the national security risks and the detainees that are walking around in our community—rapists, murderers. These guys don't even know where they are—one job: keep Australians safe. We have murderers and rapists out wandering in the community and you guys don't even know where they are. It is breathtaking.

To follow on from Senator Pratt, it had to be noted. This part of the day—take note of answers by ministers—we might have to expand to taking note of the contributions of those from the government who have literally just put on display the most extraordinary doubling down of an insult. Perhaps I am a cynic. Perhaps I don't have blind faith in those opposite. That might come as a surprise to some knowing how opaque they are when it comes to any policy.

Labor's new favourite trick—people in the gallery might be interested in this—is they now make people they consult on policy and legislation sign NDAs so that no-one can discuss what they want to roll out in their policy agenda. They don't actually share any legislation beforehand. They just plan to ram it through, usually in a dirty deal with their mates in the Greens. But the fact that they are now asking stakeholders to sign NDAs means we are seeing this government sink to a new level.

Excuse the cynic in me here but do you think perhaps some of these comments might be related to the fact that we have a visitor from China this week? Do you think they might be here going, 'Don't worry, mate'? We have seen them get rid of the antidumping provisions when it comes to wind turbines just today, just as a friendly gesture to China: 'Come and dump all of your wind turbines here. Don't worry about manufacturing any in Australia. You just make them over there and we will take them all. Dump them here. Stuff up the price arrangements any local manufacturing might have.' But they have given the wink and the nudge to China.

Maybe this was what Senator Farrell was aiming towards, saying: 'Don't worry, China. We're not that close to the US.' Well, here's a little bit of a reality check for you: we are close to the US; they are our most trusted ally. And as part of the AUKUS agreement, as part of the Five Eyes agreement, there is information shared between our two nations at the most sensitive level. To play—it's not even playing politics; it's just plain stupidity. The plain stupidity of these comments beggars belief.

It beggars believe that any of you sitting on those government benches should ever be anywhere near the national security of this country, because you clearly do not prioritise it. You don't prioritise the safety of Australian citizens. Clare O'Neil, the minister, is out there saying how she wishes all of these people were back in detention, but she hasn't brought forward a new piece of legislation. They haven't asked for the court to provide any supervision orders or any extra orders. Nothing. No protection orders. They haven't asked for anything. The incompetence is beyond laughable. It is beyond comprehension. It is only in good faith that the Australian electorate will soon start to see through this incompetent government, which is now putting at risk one of our strongest, most important and longstanding relationships. If Donald Trump wins the presidency, we could be without an ambassador in the US after what's happened today. Credentials could be revoked. What an unbelievable precedent you lot are setting.