Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

Isn't it fascinating? Here we are. We've spent a whole morning on this. I was following Senator Shoebridge in the contributions to the second reading debate. He kept dropping his contribution off. Rather than hearing him put on the record the Greens' perspective on this particular bill, we have now spent all morning with them equivocating, vacillating and quite significantly refusing to put the Greens' political party's perspective on the CFMEU's thuggery, misogyny and corruption allegations on the record or be willing to step up and do something tough about it.

What we've actually seen here today is that both parties that have accepted money from the CFMEU in political donations seem to be refusing the coalition's simple solution to this: put it in the bill that political parties of all colours and persuasions, whilst the CFMEU is in administration, should not be accepting donations. It's that simple. And Senator Shoebridge—through you, Chair—if you really wanted to stand on your principles, you would accept that donation amendment from the coalition and support it, because it would then apply the same principles around taking donations and money from the CFMEU whilst in administration to all political parties.