Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was the deputy chair of that particular committee inquiring into the establishment of a national registration system for Australian paramedics, although I attended very few of the meetings of that committee. I will not repeat my comments on the next report, but it was on the need for a nationally consistent approach to alcohol fuelled violence. I refused to get involved in both of those inquiries. This was the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Commonwealth of Australia, and both of these subjects related to pet hobbies and pet campaigns of the then chairman. While very important issues, they certainly were not matters for the Commonwealth parliament and they were certainly not matters for the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

I only raise that in this context: to plead with senators, as they consider referring matters to committees in this parliament, that they sensibly refer to committees of the federal parliament matters that are within the jurisdiction of the federal parliament and matters that can be dealt with by the particular committee they are referred to. If there was a federal element to this one, then it clearly should have gone to the health committee and not the legal and constitutional affairs committee.

In relation to the other one, the need for a nationally consistent approach to alcohol-fuelled violence, it may have been relevant—I doubt it—to some other area of federal parliamentary import, but certainly it was not a matter for the legal and constitutional affairs committee. I only make those comments to say to senators: refer what you like, but please send it to the right committee and please send it to a committee that does have some federal government jurisdiction in these areas.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to make a few remarks in relation to this report of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee, Establishment of a national registration system for Australian paramedics to improve and ensure patient and community safety. I just find it incredible that Senator Macdonald, a senator with such a long career in this place, would not be able to support the establishment of a national registration system for Australian paramedics to improve and ensure patient and community safety. I think that says it all. We heard in his previous contribution to this chamber the ramblings of a senator who has obviously been here for a long time. Maybe he gets a bit tired of some of these committees and having to participate. I think it is our responsibility in this place, when a reference is made to a committee, to make every endeavour to make a contribution.

In terms of some of the comments that Senator Macdonald was making before, and his usual rants and personal attacks, about whether or not somebody is not going to make a contribution or has not made a contribution—we are all a bit tired of the same old mantra; we really are. People who have been in this chamber have heard me speak on numerous occasions about the Defence Force—those people who have served our country, those people who have laid their lives on the line for us, those people, such as my family, who have stood shoulder to shoulder in battles with their fellow Australians. I have never once made any comments in relation to the former member for Bass's military service. I am the first person to stand up and to pay tribute to those who serve in the defence forces.

My family has a proud history. My father survived the Burma railway line for 3½ years. He survived Changi. He gave the best part of his life for this country because he believed in what he was doing. I would not be here, obviously, if he had not returned from that. Senator Macdonald stood up in this chamber and cast aspersions, saying I was being disrespectful to a former member of this place—and the seat of Bass has had another Liberal member who had a distinguished service in the military—and it needs to be corrected on the record. At no time have I, or would I, ever cast aspersions on the former member for Bass's contribution to this country through the Defence Force.

But I have, as I said, a responsibility to talk about the issues that affect my community. The comments made about the Medicare campaign were extraordinary. When this side of the chamber runs a federal campaign and highlights the shortcomings of the government—and they did, in fact, set up a committee and they spent, I am sure, somewhere in the vicinity of $6 million looking at the privatisation of aspects of Medicare; that is a fact; that was not misleading. But, for Senator Macdonald to come into this chamber, as he does so regularly, and bully people, put women down on this side, as he is renowned for doing—we are just not going to sit in this chamber and say, 'Oh well, that's just Senator Macdonald. We'll just let him go, because everyone knows that he has the same rant.' I think if you go back over the 11 years that I have been in this chamber, you will hear the same rant from him, attacking people who have a different view, attacking unionists. I was never a unionist. But I defend the right of those people. As a former member of a union, you have the right. That is a right of our democracy. That is what we should be fighting for in this place. But, from the actions of this government and the former government, we know, when it comes to workers' rights, where their loyalties lie, and it is certainly not with the workers of this country. That is for sure.

But I go back to the comments that I made during my first speech, on health issues. I go back to that because—

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, this is about paramedics.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Paramedics actually work in the health system, believe it or not. What we want to see is the best when it comes to the safety of those people who work in the health system, just as importantly we need to ensure that the community are safe as well. But it just goes to the fact that Senator Macdonald cannot sit in this chamber and listen to anyone else's contribution without standing up, accusing people of lying and going on about what may or may not have happened at polling booths. As I said when I took that point of order, if you want to talk about bullying, then you need to talk to people from your own party in the seat of Bass about when people were going to the prepolls and the complaints that were made by your former member—

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order, Senator Polley: I draw your attention to the fact that we are speaking about the national registration system for Australian paramedics. With deep respect, can I ask you to just confine your comments to that particular topic, if I may.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I was saying, if people come into this chamber and make accusations and allegations about other people then they ought to look in their own backyard first. But I will go back to this important report.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Aged Care) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are so many good reports that come down that are done by senators from all around this chamber that make a great contribution. I think it is a bit sad sometimes that the Australian community do not actually understand the amount of work that goes into those reports. I am not talking about the senators' contribution necessarily; I am talking about the witnesses who come forward to give that evidence. I am talking about the secretariats. Those who have been in this chamber know—through you, Mr Acting Deputy President; I know that Senator Macdonald has been here a long, long time, much longer than me, but he would understand—that there are an awful lot of reports that unfortunately, when they have been tabled, sit in a bookcase somewhere gathering dust. That is why we on this side of the chamber are very mindful, when we are sending references to committees, of the amount of work that is going to be expected to be done by the secretariat and the parliamentary staff.

But we also have to say how much we appreciate the time that was taken by those people to come forth to give evidence to this committee so that this report was tabled. People have the opportunity to read that, and then they will make up their own minds as to whether they support the recommendations. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.