David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Acting Deputy President. We have a national issue with layers and layers of deep and concerning principles, some in contradiction to each other, some that have been keeping many of us awake at night—about how you navigate a pathway through with these very real—

An honourable senator interjecting

some of which we have been trying to negotiate with a Labor minister, who just says 'computer says no' if he actually gets back to us. Then we get a little insight into what you lot think this is about, because you think it is about money. You think it is about donations because that's the way your politics works. That is the way the coalition's politics works. It must be about the money. You cannot get that out of your own brains because that is the only way you engage in politics. It is about self-interest and money for the coalition, and you can't comprehend when another political movement may actually have different principles and considerations. As you bring this motion, we're getting a little insight into your political brain. This motion says so much about the coalition—that you think that's what motivates politics in this place. It is always about some grubby side deal for the money and it tells us so much about you.

We then have Labor join and support it, because, for them, it is the same thing. This is not about matters of deep principle, it is not about matters of how we go and stand up for a democratic union movement, and it is not about how we deal with the misogyny, the allegations of criminality and the very real deep concerns about how the union operates. It is not about that, because they have joined the coalition in making it all about money. They have joined you in making it all about money. It is such an insight into the modern Labor Party, that with all these issues floating around, you can't conceive there is another political movement in the country that is not doing it only for the money and is not interested in it only for the money. For the party that has received more than $6 million in donations from the CFMEU, that has made zero commitments to give a cent back in the last decade, zero commitments at all, to join this motion makes us realise that is what is important to them. That is what is motivating them. It's actually the money that is motivating Labor, as so much of their politics is motivated by money—self interest and money.

We're trying to have a genuine debate about the principles, and you lot collectively drag it into the gutter and make it about the way your politics works. When you're both in the gutter, the rest of the country is looking at you in the gutter. Is it any wonder that your combined vote keeps shrinking and shrinking because you do this stuff? You turn issues of principle and concern into your collective grubby self-interest and how you can make these kinds of narrow, grubby, political fights, when we want to actually engage with the principles.

So do we oppose this motion? Yes, we oppose this motion. Do we want to get on and deal with issues of principle and deal with it on principle? Yes, we want to deal with it on principle. There is an absolutely fatuous argument from Labor about us spending 12 or 13 minutes actually defending our position in an attack motion that you've joined together to do to us in what will be the better part of an hour's time of the Senate. Their fatuous argument is that defending ourselves from the self-interested joint attack from Labor and the coalition is somehow the problem. You couldn't make this stuff up, could you? You couldn't make up that kind of confected outrage.

What I'd say to the both of you is: have a good, hard look in the mirror. When you have a look in the mirror, what will be reflected back at you is this motion. It says so much more about you and how you do politics—the standard grubby deals between you and your backroom deals to try and do a job on any political party that dares put principle before dollars. That's what this is about. Murray, give it back. If you have the guts of your convictions, just give it back.