Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This morning, in Senator Duniam's contribution to a debate, he was talking about regional Australia. I'd just like to point out to Senator Duniam and to others on that side that just because you drive a four-wheel drive doesn't mean you understand regional Australia. I can tell the senator that regional Australia and urban Australia are not celebrating the thought of Peter Dutton becoming the Prime Minister and the coalition's nuclear pipe dream. You were in government for almost a decade, and you couldn't even hit an energy policy that you could bring while you were in government. You had 22, and then you went to 23 with nuclear energy. The only thing that relates to is maybe your lucky number or my age. How can Australians believe anything that you say on energy or anything else?

You have three policies. One is that you're going to cut, cut, cut, and you're not going to tell people until after the election. The second one is nuclear energy. And then there is the one that is most popular already with the Australian community, and that is the long lunches for bosses that the taxpayers are going to pay for. That is the depth of experience and delivery of policy that you're known for. No-one trusts you at all. We can talk about red dogs and green tails as you often do in here lately. It's obviously your thing. But your entire energy policy is a dog. Remember Clifford the Big Red Dog? That is the Liberal Party of Australia's energy policy—a big nuclear dog that nobody wants. What I want to also ask of Senator Duniam and my colleagues on that other side is: are you going to take in Hobart, in your backyard, nuclear waste? I don't really think so. Australians are waking up to Mr Dutton. I wish I had more time so I could talk about how he gutted— (Time expired)