Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I inform the Senate that at 8.30 am today four proposals were received in accordance with standing order 75. The question of which proposal would be submitted to the Senate was determined by lot. As a result, I inform the Senate that the following letter has been received from Senator Burston:

Dear Mr President,

Pursuant to standing order 75, I give notice that today I propose to move that, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The need to understand why some politicians and professional sportsmen feel the need to cheat.

Is the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

I understand that informal arrangements have been made to allocate specific times to each of the speakers in today's debate. With the concurrence of the Senate, I shall call the Clerk to set the clock accordingly.

Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The need to understand why some politicians and professional sportsmen feel the need to cheat.

This particular ball has not been tampered with.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Burston, I remind you of the standing order that there are no props for use in the Senate. So please remove what's in your hand.

Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've been no-balled! Anyway, that means I'm still not out! Fair-dinkum Aussies across our land agree that cheating is not on. Our cricket team's cheating in South Africa, involving the leadership team of one of the world's best cricket nations, causes people around the world to question our past success. Shame has been brought on our nation, and shame it is. We Aussies love to play fair. This cheating contradicts our values of having a fair go and being fair dinkum. We devalue ourselves by going down the path of cheating. When something like this happens in a game we love, cricket, it strikes at the heart of what it means to be Australian.

The key to this matter of public interest is the need to understand why some politicians feel the need to cheat. The fact is people only cheat when they don't think they're as good as the other person or team. When teams are competitive, there's no need to cheat. Cheating reveals a lack of belief in oneself. It reveals poor performance and laziness in taking the easy way out. That's not the Aussie way. We pride ourselves on facing up to issues and having a go, truthfully.

Cheating takes many forms, including deliberately misrepresenting facts. That's lying, and Australians detest lies and people being shifty. During the 2016 federal election, at the heart of Labor's campaign was a blatantly false statement about 'Mediscare'—a lie, cheating. During the recent 2017 Queensland election, and often in this federal parliament, Labor politicians and their advertisements falsely claimed that One Nation cut workers' penalty rates. That is blatantly false, and The Queensland Times newspaper independent fact checking during the election confirmed that. In federal parliament in 2017, senators in Pauline Hanson's One Nation voted to restore penalty rates. Further, in this Senate last year, Labor stopped One Nation from moving an amendment to restore penalty rates that had been slyly removed in deals between union bosses, including Mr Shorten, and multinational companies. Those deals stripped hundreds of thousands of workers of hundreds of millions of dollars in penalty rates. This was confirmed by video footage of the Senate. Had Labor supported our amendment, penalty rates would've been restored for all workers. Labor, though, lacked the integrity, fairness and courage to even let our senator move an amendment for a fair vote. Why? It was because it was Mr Shorten as employment and workplace minister under Julia Gillard who gave the Fair Work Commission the power to alter weekend penalty rates. It was because Mr Shorten as a union boss had done those shifty deals. As a former member of the boilermakers union, the AMWU and the teachers federation, I am disgusted with some of the union workers of today and the cheating of workers' basic conditions and cheating behind workers' backs while pretending to protect workers. They are shifty and cheating.

In the 2017 Queensland election, Labor accused Senator Pauline Hanson of wanting to sell public assets. Senator Hanson has throughout her political life been the greatest speaker against selling public assets. Indeed, Anna Bligh's Labor government sold more assets than any other and did so immediately after the 2009 election, following a campaign in which they promised not to sell assets—another Labor lie. They were cheating. Last week, Victorian Labor MPs were caught stealing from taxpayers to cheat in the last Victorian election. Although the Premier said he was not aware of this, Labor MPs have since come out saying he was. Worse, reportedly Premier Daniel Andrews spent around $1 million fighting to stop the ombudsman from revealing the facts of the investigation. Labor cheated, and they worked to stop being caught. In the recent by-election in the New South Wales federal seat of Bennelong, the ACTU was exposed for telling lies about health fees, medicine costs, numbers of doctors and workers, health funding and emergency surgery waiting times.

There's a pattern here of blatantly false statements and cheating. It is systemic and endemic in Labor and its cronies and a handful of dodgy unions, with shifty union bosses. Unlike the leadership of our nation's cricket team, Labor covers up its lies. That is because Labor is scared. Lies are a form of control, and always beneath control there is fear. What is new Labor afraid of? Labor is afraid of One Nation. As Labor has abandoned and betrayed its core voters, its heartland of honest workers and tradies for inner-city political correctness, Labor is vulnerable. People with a moral compass and strong work ethic now come to One Nation. Labor has lost these people and, as most Aussies are decent, law-abiding people who believe in a fair day's pay for an honest day's work, Labor's vote is plummeting.

As evidence of this, let's turn to the Queensland election result. That was so close it took 12 days to announce the result because of the very strong One Nation vote. Yet everyone watching the media coverage of the Queensland state election on polling day could be forgiven for thinking that Labor won in a landslide. Nothing, though, was further from the truth. In seats with One Nation candidates, the party averaged 22 per cent of the vote, or more than one-fifth of the voters. In nearly 40 per cent, or almost half, of the seats One Nation contested, One Nation received enough seats to be one of the two-party-preferred parties ahead of Labor and the LNP. Labor's primary vote fell over two per cent. A major result of the election is that it confirmed One Nation has arrived. One Nation is here to stay, and the previously entrenched parties will have to work with One Nation after the next federal election.

Lastly, journalists are saying that Steve Smith as captain was right to resign. I agree. Journalists are saying he was not alone and that the issue is cultural. I agree. The same is true of new Labor under Mr Shorten. He and his leadership team should resign. That would enable parliament to focus on restoring good governance and sound leadership to our nation that has lost its way under both tired, old parties—one dishonest and the other weak. New Labor under Mr Rudd, Ms Gillard and Mr Shorten is killing itself after adopting former Senator Richardson's mantra of winning at all costs, including cheating. Labor is no longer a grassroots party representing honest workers. Membership is declining as backroom party power brokers preselect MPs in grubby deals. Under Mr Shorten, Australians will lose a lot more than just their penalty rates; Australia will continue to lose integrity of government.

It's common sense: cheating needs to be understood for what it is and for what it does. It reveals weakness and it spreads like cancer. We cannot afford a cheater in the Lodge. One Nation provides a return to reality to get back to basics, bring back Australia and bring back common sense. Australia's insurance against a new Labor government, with Mr Shorten at the helm, is more One Nation senators in the Senate. It is a privilege to be elected to this parliament. As elected representatives, we have a duty to the people of Australia.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to speak on this matter of public importance. Australia is a proud sporting nation. Integrity and honesty are critically important attributes for the grassroots local clubs through to our nation's largest sporting teams, both professional and community. All of our sporting teams, no matter what the level, must maintain the highest reputation possible, both domestically and on the international stage. We are not a country that tolerates cheats. In Australia, integrity isn't just something that's codified in sporting codes or legislation; it is in the fibre of our very being. As I said, we're not a nation that tolerates cheats. Those who are cheaters need to be called out and dealt with harshly. It's a betrayal of all Australians. Athletes who represent their communities, their states and our nation have a responsibility to live up to the highest possible standards—be they, as I said, in codes or not. It is all about integrity and also transparency.

Sometimes I think that those in large professional sports organisations, of which Cricket Australia is one, become a business and they then forget that they are actually custodians of the sport for their members, for all of their supporters and, of course, for their players. Sporting organisations are run as companies—quite rightly—but sometimes they do lose focus and do forget whom they are there to represent and the purpose that they exist for. Cricket Australia appoints their skipper to lead by example, ensuring not only that the rules and standards are maintained but also that the game itself is played in accordance with the spirit of cricket, with integrity, with freedom from cheating and with freedom from corruption. Whether it be Cricket Australia or Rugby Australia, these organisations both have responsibilities to their members, to the Australian public and to us all.

Reading about the Cricket Australia scandal and the cheating over the last 24 to 48 hours has reminded me of an inquiry I established last year, with the support of those in this chamber, into Rugby Union. I did so because I believed that Western Force supporters deserved to know why their beloved team was so brutally culled. Integrity was hard to see, and Western Force players and supporters felt cheated by those who were designated to look after their best interests. Certainly, accountability was almost invisible. Just because you can do something in big sport, doesn't mean that you should. Clearly, in the case of Rugby Union, this was a textbook case of a national sporting organisation losing sight of the obligations they had as custodian of a sport.

The 8,000 strong crowd that assembled in Perth in August last year demonstrated very clearly that the WA Rugby community deserved an answer, they deserved transparency and they deserved to know where the integrity was in that decision. Their pain and despair was exacerbated by the failure of the then Australian Rugby Union to even come and address them to provide answers, to provide transparency, to be honest and to demonstrate that this wasn't, in effect, cheating on behalf of another team. I promised at that rally to find answers for supporters, for players and for their families, and to call that sporting body to account—and also, importantly, for federal taxpayers, who fund the sport through the Australian Sports Commission, and for Western Australian taxpayers, who in good faith invested well over $100 million in infrastructure. They had every right to feel they had been cheated and they certainly saw no integrity and no transparency in the process.

I was personally very disappointed with the custodians of the sport and with the fact they had failed to see this inquiry as a way of fully, transparently and honestly explaining the circumstances that led to the decision to cull Western Force and save the Melbourne Rebels. It was very clear that the ARU representatives were contemptuous of those in this place and of our role in seeking answers. These captains and titans of industry were resentful for having to account for their activities. I also believe, as I've said previously in this place, that there were highly inappropriate and misdirected attempts by ARU officials to stop and to impede the inquiry.

To me, one of the greatest tragedies in this sad tale of ARU stewardship is that since 2008 at least 13 reviews were conducted into the sport, into grassroots engagement and into governance transparency. But, sadly, after 13 reviews in less than 10 years nothing was actioned, nothing was changed and the sport kept going backwards. The committee made very strong recommendations to the Commonwealth government, to the WA state government and also to ASIC, which I understand is still inquiring into matters raised in the inquiry. Having strong, sustainable and community focused sporting teams is unquestionably in the national interest. Therefore, it's only sensible that the Commonwealth government review world's best practice funding measures and performance measures to strengthen performance across our national sporting landscape.

I'm also pleased that, as part of the development of the National Sport Plan, the Commonwealth government, independently of this inquiry, is finalising a review of Australian sports integrity arrangements. Clearly, the events with Cricket Australia over the last couple of days are some of the most offensive and gross breaches of trust and honesty—and cheating—that have occurred for many years, not just in that sport but I think across all major sports. It is something that the government, the minister and this inquiry now need to look at further. As the sports integrity threat environment continues to change rapidly, all stakeholders across government and sport need to work together to ensure Australia's sport integrity arrangements remain effective and also remain contemporary.

Sport is an integral part of Australia's identity, bringing with it physical, social, cultural and economic benefits. Sport unites communities and is a driver for inclusion and social cohesion. Sport plays an important role across all Australian communities, from the cities to rural and regional centres, from grassroots local clubs right up to the elite sports level. It is essential to the integrity of all sports in this country, large and small, that they not only are living up to the letter of the law but are doing it with great transparency and with great integrity, free of cheating and corruption.

The review I mentioned was conducted by an independent panel, led by the Hon. James Wood QC. He was supported by a highly eminent panel. The review represents the most comprehensive examination of Australian sports integrity arrangements that has ever been undertaken. The review makes 52 recommendations, in line with its terms of reference. In light of what happened with Cricket Australia, and their almost inconceivable breakdown in ethics, process and integrity, this inquiry could not be better timed. I ask that the minister and the inquiry go back and have a look at the implications of what has come out and how this could possibly have happened in one of Australia's most beloved sporting traditions. I very much look forward to seeing the government's response to this review and, importantly, the impact it will have in ensuring that Australian sporting teams remain amongst the world's best, and they do it with integrity and free of the stain of cheating.

Our sportsmen and sportswomen, as with politicians and other community leaders, not only are required to follow the codes of conduct but are there to lead by example and set standards we all can be proud of. As I said throughout the inquiry into rugby union last year, just because legally you can do something doesn't mean you should ever do it, particularly when you're the custodian and the stewards of a great sporting code. All custodians are not just there to run a business; they're there to maintain national sports that millions of Australians love, participate in and feel very proud of. I commend the government for this review and I hope that the catastrophic failures of culture, process, plans and attitudes in Cricket Australia cannot and do not happen again in any sporting code.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I really couldn't believe it today when One Nation requested that we have an urgent debate today about cheating in politics and sport. I note that this matter was so urgent to them that they walked out of the debate as soon as Senator Burston concluded his extremely unfunny presentation, which was rather like the jokes you pull out of Christmas bonbons; it was so urgent they had to be somewhere else. I couldn't believe that they wanted to talk about cheating in politics and cheating in sport. Everyone in Australia is appalled at the actions of the leadership of the Australian cricket team—it's all that anyone has been talking about for 24 hours—and I think we all expect Cricket Australia to take strong action as this matter is investigated. But for One Nation, of all parties, to want a debate about cheating in politics is really something I never thought I would see.

The only conclusion I can reach is that the reason Senator Burston said he wanted to have a debate about cheating in politics is that it is the only way he can get the attention of the person whom we all know is running One Nation, and that is James Ashby. It's known widely that there is immense turmoil behind the scenes in One Nation with Senator Burston, Senator Georgiou and other leading members of One Nation having had a gutful of the control that James Ashby is exerting over their party. But obviously they're so in fear of him they don't think they can have a private conversation with him about his incredibly untrustworthy, duplicitous approach to politics. They can't talk to him about it privately so they have to use up the Senate's time to have a public argument about cheating in politics. That's the only way they can air their concerns.

The reason I'm so astonished that One Nation want to have a debate about cheating in politics is that anyone who has watched politics in Australia over the last 20 years knows that if there is one group that has turned political cheating into an art form it is One Nation themselves. Forget about what Senator Hanson was up to 20 years ago when she was exposed for her approach to politics. Let's look at the way they have carried on since they have come back into this parliament. We had the infamous audio tapes where James Ashby, the person who really runs One Nation, was caught on tape conspiring to rip off taxpayers' money with a scheme. The quote from him was: 'We can make a lot of money out of this.' This is the approach from the person pulling the strings in One Nation. He's all about cheating taxpayers out of funding by manipulating electoral returns and claims for public funding.

We know that it's always been about the money for Senator Hanson and everyone who surrounds her. Over the last 20 years, Senator Hanson and her party have generated about $6 million in public funding to support their activities. And no-one ever knows where the money ends up. There are always these opaque company structures to disguise where the money ends up. In just this term James Ashby himself has generated over $10,000 in taxpayer funding that's gone to his private printing businesses to reimburse him for printing that he has done for One Nation candidates. And who can forget the donation of the plane. That is still under investigation from the Australian Electoral Commission. So if we want to talk about cheats in politics we don't need to look any further than One Nation themselves.

For One Nation, it's not just about the tactics they adopt and it's not about the way they rip off taxpayer funding to support their political activities; they also spend every waking moment they are in Canberra cheating the voters that actually support them. These are the people who get around regional Queensland saying that they're in this for battlers, and every time they come down to Canberra they line up with the Liberals, line up with Malcolm Turnbull, to sell out the very people who support them. They've done it on penalty rates—not once, but twice. Twice they came into this chamber and supported the Liberals and supported cuts to workers' penalty rates, despite saying that they care about battlers.

Last week we had the embarrassing fiasco where they were shamed into coming back into this chamber to reverse one of their earlier votes, which cut the bereavement allowance, and then spent the entire day lying to cover their tracks. They've voted with the Liberals to make it easier for construction companies to bring in temporary overseas workers. They've voted with the government to reduce apprenticeship funding. And of course this very week they've done a deal with the government to support company tax cuts. One Nation are the greatest cheats Australian politics has ever seen.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on a matter of urgency submitted to this place by a parliamentary colleague from New South Wales, Senator Burston. In the wake of the saddening revelations of ball tampering by members of the Australian cricket team, Senator Burston wants this place to consider 'the need to understand why some politicians and professional sportsmen feel the need to cheat'. Now, whether intentionally or not, Senator Burston's timing is impeccable, because only last week the Victorian Ombudsman, Ms Deborah Glass OBE, handed down her report into the egregious practices of 21 separate members of the Victorian state parliament from the Australian Labor Party. There is no other word for it.

As the Ombudsman has made perfectly clear, the Andrews Labor government cheated its way to electoral victory in 2014. By using taxpayer funds that are ordinarily used for expenditure on the electorate, 21 state MPs were able to fund an army of campaign coordinators called the red shirts. This is deception of the very highest order. It was a scheme devised by the Labor leadership. It was endorsed by the Labor campaign team. It was signed off by Premier Daniel Andrews. More than 1,100 days of work was ascribed. Nearly $400,000 worth of taxpayer money was used. It was specifically designed to use taxpayer funds to subvert the democratic process. Quite frankly, it makes ball tampering look like amateur hour.

So let us be clear about exactly who we are talking about. Who is responsible for this rort? Who are the 21 state and Labor MPs involved? Well, I can show you exactly who they are, because they've been named and shamed in the Herald Sun.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm probably one of the last ones to be pulling you up on this, but you know that you're not allowed to use props. I've been guilty myself, but you are not to use props. You'll have to put the prop down.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm terribly sorry.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have no doubt that you are.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I apologise. I'm afraid I'm a little bit like Premier Andrews: I didn't know that I was cheating. Let me just name the individual members of parliament who cheated the taxpayer. Let's start with John Lenders. He's now the retired member for Southern Metropolitan Region. He was the architect of the scheme to defraud the taxpayer. This man was once the Treasurer of Victoria. He was the architect of this scheme. He was rewarded by the Labor Party for his audacious fleecing of the taxpayer, with a $90,000-a-year chairmanship of a government-run organisation, a company called VicTrack. He's since resigned from that position—thank heavens for that—because he knows that you cannot defend the indefensible. And then there is Martin Pakula, the member for Western Metropolitan Region. He's actually the current Attorney-General—the highest lawmaker in the state. Yet not only was he a willing participant in the scheme but he was responsible for the extra $1 million of taxpayer money spent to try to fend off the investigation by the Ombudsman and protect the cover-up.

Gavin Jennings, the member for Southern Eastern Metropolitan Region, was the Special Minister of State. His job description is supposedly to oversee government transparency, integrity and accountability. What a joke! Jenny Mikakos, the member for Northern Metropolitan Region, the Minister for Families and Children and the Minister for Youth Affairs, was one of the largest contributors to the scheme. Gayle Tierney, the member for the Western Victoria Region, was—the irony!—the Minister for Corrections. Perhaps she could tell us which correctional facility houses those who have stolen from the taxpayer and subverted the democratic process. And then there is John Eren, the member for Lara, the Minister for Tourism and Major Events and the Minister for Sports. It was his staff member who became the whistleblower.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Senator Gallacher?

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My point of order is that Senator Hume may be misleading the Senate by saying that these members of parliament have stolen from the taxpayer. It is clear in the Ombudsman's findings that that is not the case.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Gallacher, that is a debating point, as you well know.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Lily D'Ambrosia, the member for Mill Park, is the worst minister for energy that this state has ever seen. If only she would put as much energy into keeping the lights on in Victoria as she did into rorting the 2014 state election. Adem Somyurek is my favourite. He was the Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade. He may wield a butterknife like nobody else in the parliamentary dining room, but siphons are his weapon of choice when it comes to taxpayer funds. Cesar Melhem, the former government whip, former national secretary of the AWU and the man behind the Clean Event payments, was referred to authorities by the Heydon royal commission. He's no stranger to using other people's money for political gain. There are so many other members of the Victorian parliament named in the Ombudsman's report who cannot possibly look their constituents in the eyes: Anthony Carbines, Marsha Thomson, Nazih Elasmar, Shaun Leane.

These are just the current members of the Victorian parliament; there were retired members involved, too. They have since been rewarded for their obedience and their silence with very comfortable jobs on the taxpayer teat. Former Dandenong MP John Panzadopoulos earns up to $30,000 a year with three separate government boards. Retired member for Northern Victoria Candy Broad earns about $51,000 a year as the chair of PrimeSafe, a statutory authority for the meat industry.

Liz Beattie, the former member for Yuroke, receives $20,000 for a board position on the Greater Metropolitan Cemetery Trust. There are other retired members: Brian Tee, Margaret Lewis, Johan Scheffer. My favourite, though, is Joe Helper. Let me tell you the story of Joe Helper. He was the former member for Ripon who used funds that should have been dedicated to his electorate to fully fund a red-shirt campaigner, whose name is Juliana Addison. Well, Ms Addison had the last laugh. She campaigned alright, just not in his electorate of Ripon! She campaigned for Sharon Knight in Wendouree, and poor old Mr Helper lost his seat. He must have been hopping mad, but Ms Addison has done okay out of this. She was illegally paid taxpayers' money but she's now the ALP's candidate for Wendouree at the upcoming state election. Well, good luck to Ms Addison. Every time you think the Victorian Labor Party has stooped to a new low, they surprise you once more by plumbing a depth previously unthinkable.

Where was the ALP campaign team in all of this? Surely, the campaign team knew what was going on. Let's ask Senator Carr, who was on that campaign team. When he saw the Ombudsman's report, he said it was 'imprecise, vague and partisan'.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And inaccurate, vague and inaccurate.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, you said 'partisan', Senator Carr. I've read the 200-page report.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Partisan! Partisan! It would not allow any connection to the Liberal Party.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Carr, could you show a bit more restraint, please, because I can't hear Senator Hume over your interjections.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How extraordinarily unsportsmanlike of Senator Carr!

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unsportsmanlike! It's a rort by the Liberal Party.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How very typical, because, if you don't like the rules of the game, you blame the umpire!

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, please resume your seat. Senator Carr, I have already asked you, if you're going to interject, to do it more quietly, because I cannot hear Senator Hume and what she's saying.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So many Labor members embroiled in this deception have been caught cheating, but where does the buck stop? It stops with Premier Daniel Andrews. It is entirely implausible that he was unaware that using taxpayer funds to campaign was immoral, illegal and unethical. When this rort was discovered in 2015, Daniel Andrews denied there was any wrongdoing. He said no rules were broken. He was wrong. Then he said that there may well have been rules broken but that other parties did it too. The Ombudsman said, 'No, that wasn't the case. No other parties did this, only the Labor Party.' When the rort was referred to the Ombudsman, Daniel Andrews attempted to block the investigation. More than $1 million was spent to thwart the Ombudsman's investigation, but the highest court of the land said there was reasonable cause. When the report came out, Daniel Andrews said, 'Whoops, sorry, sorry,' and he even returned the $388,000 stolen from the public purse. He said, 'That's it, no more to see here. There should be no minister or no member that faces any further consequences for their action.' The most important thing he said was that he was sincere in his apology. How woefully inadequate! Imagine if this were any other workplace. If you were to steal from your employer, you would get sacked. How can—

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, please resume your seat. Senator McAllister, you have a point of order?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President, I'd ask you to reflect on the language used by Senator Hume in relation to Mr Andrews, whom incidentally she may call by his title. The standing orders prohibit reflection—

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is this standing order 193?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is, 193(3).

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Senator Hume, I would remind you that serving members of other state and territory parliaments are protected people, and aspersions are not to be cast on them. Please keep that standing order in mind and refer to them by their correct titles.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Acting Deputy President. I will do so.

How can Premier Andrews believe that the rule of law, the most fundamental of ethics, the most basic tenet of civic duty and, heavens, the eighth of the    Ten Commandments don't apply to him and don't apply to his government? You cannot take taxpayer money from your constituents and undermine the democratic process. At the very heart of the cricket scandal is a 'victory at all costs' mentality and a corruption of the spirit of the game. The Victorian Labor Party is no different. This scandal is a misappropriation of taxpayer funds and a corruption of the democratic process of the highest order. But Victorian Labor are worse because, unlike the Australian cricket team, Daniel Andrews actually won. He got away with it—victory at all costs. These are the people who are governing Victoria. They have no morals, they have no principles, they have no remorse and they have no shame.

Senator Kim Carr interjecting—

You have been caught ball tampering!

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, please resume your seat. Senator Carr, I've already said twice now that I cannot hear what Senator Hume is saying, and that's the third time you have been so disorderly and so loud that I'm sure others in this chamber also cannot hear Senator Hume while she's speaking. She has the right to be heard in silence.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Premier Andrews has been caught ball tampering. Premier Andrews, I have a message for you: you and your corrupt cronies are a national disgrace. My state of Victoria deserves better. It's time to step up. It is time to be a man.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hume, please resume your seat. Senator McAllister, with a point of order?

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a point of order. Again, Senator Hume's language is reflecting on and making imputations of improper motives of a member of the Victorian parliament, Mr Andrews, and I'd ask that she withdraw her remarks.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will take the point of order. Under standing order 193(3), it is inappropriate not only to refer to someone not by their correct title but also to impute improper motives to currently serving members of other parliaments.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Acting Deputy President, before the time kicks on, I just need to know which word I need to withdraw.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McAllister? The Clerk has just pointed out 'corrupt cronies'. Was that the expression you were—

Senator McAllister interjecting—

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw 'corrupt'.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would just remind Senator Hume and all other senators of standing order 193 and its requirements.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you won't go, Premier Andrews, don't worry; come November, the Victorian people will happily show you the door. (Time expired)

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know the senator opposite is under a preselection threat over in Victoria, and we see her come out with basically a smear. Is it any wonder people are cynical about politics? We can see why from the performance of Senator Hume opposite. We can also see why from Senator Burston. On an issue which the Australian people have taken seriously, the issue of what we saw with the Australian cricket team over the weekend—and I've been astonished at the response from the community—the best we can get from Senator Hume, the best we can get from Senator Burston, is to come in here and run a smear campaign. That's all they've got. They've got nothing left to offer the people of Australia other than coming in here and offering a smear. Is it any wonder that the public are so cynical about politics, when you see efforts like that? Absolutely not. This is the best they've got.

We know that from time to time people in politics do the wrong thing, and they absolutely get held accountable for that. What we see from those here is nothing more than a smear campaign. We saw it started off by Senator Burston.

Senator Sterle interjecting—

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Chisholm, please resume your seat. I will again remind colleagues of standing order 193. There were several references to senators and members that were unparliamentary. I would remind all senators to address their comments through the chair and also to use correct titles. Thank you, Senator Hume—sorry, Senator Chisholm!

Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Luckily, she finished! There are some people who say that sport and politics don't mix. I think what we've seen from the contributions of those opposite today is that, indeed, in this chamber, sport and politics don't mix. As to the contribution from Senator Burston: of all the things you'd say about Senator Burston, you wouldn't call him a creative type. It was not a very creative contribution from Senator Burston. He came in here and read out a shopping list of accusations against people. But there is some really important substance to this issue, and it's a pity those opposite haven't been able to rise to that bar.

The Australian people have been appalled at what they've seen from the Australian cricket team in their behaviour. The response has been something that has impacted me. As politicians, we are representative of the people, and they also look to us to provide leadership. So I think that, at times like this, we absolutely all need to look at the way we conduct ourselves in public and the way that we set an example for others. I know that my kids, unfortunately, like me, are political tragics. When they are home from school on a particular day, they watch question time and they see the way that we behave, and they say, 'Why did that person say that about you?' or 'Why did that person say that about someone else?' It's always a good reminder for us that we are leaders in the community and that we should behave and act accordingly.

I think that the win-at-all-costs mentality that pervades politics is something that we always need to provide a check and balance on. I know, from being in my old job as the state secretary of the Labor Party, you feel enormous pressure to win elections. But you've always got to ensure that you have good guidance from people around you, and that you have mentors that you can talk to from time to time, to ensure that you do not let that get the better of you. There are always temptations to take the low road, to take a shortcut here and there, but you are never rewarded from that. I think that there is a serious element to the question that we have here, but it's disappointing that those opposite weren't able to rise to the occasion.

I think it also goes to the mentality and the motivation that we see from Senator Burston and One Nation. To come in here and try and attack the Labor Party and brand us as cheats is completely outrageous, because cheating in Australian public life has many different forms. I'm not someone who watches Married At First Sight or The Bachelor, but I'm sure people in Australia get a daily view of what happens through their TV channels. From what I know about politics, the Australian people hate it when they feel as though they have been cheated by their political party. I know that, from time to time, the Labor Party have been guilty of this. We've suffered the consequence when we haven't stuck true to our voters and stuck to what they believe in and what they elected us, as representatives, to deliver for them. I certainly know, from the history of One Nation—and I know they've been wiped out before, and I know they've come back—that they are always cheating on the voters they represent. This is something that they come in here and throw around accusations on. They don't understand the seriousness of the Australian community and the way they treat these issues.

When One Nation were first elected in 1998, in Queensland, 11 MPs were elected to the state parliament. But, within the course of that term of government, all bar one left. Over the term of those 11 MPs, all bar one abandoned One Nation. The fact that they have a history of cheating the people of Queensland and cheating voters through the history of their existence is proven time and time again. We also know that the first time Senator Hanson had someone elected to this place, Senator Heather Hill, she was deemed ineligible—again, an example of when they have cheated the voters. We've seen in this place in more recent times, since Senator Hanson and her colleagues were elected, that they constantly cheat their voters. They do that by signing up with those opposite and supporting legislation that is going to have a detrimental impact on those people who voted for them. I can think of no better example in recent times than their support for the government and the LNP when it comes to penalty rates. I know the impact that this will have in regional Queensland. I know the communities, workers and families that are going to suffer from penalty rate cuts, the extra hours that they're going to have to work or the extra travel they're going to have to do to pick up another job. This has an impact on family life. This is what One Nation have signed up for.

There's probably been no bigger sellout that One Nation have been responsible for than what we're going to see take place in this chamber through the course of the week with regard to the corporate tax cuts, the big business tax cuts, that those opposite are pursuing and One Nation have signed up for. This will have a significant impact in Queensland and the other states on the voters that Senator Hanson and her team purport to represent. So, in order for them to come in here and try and lecture other people about cheating, they need to own up to why they are cheating their voters. Time and time again, no matter what the issue is in this place, they are willing to sell out their voters, support those opposite and support the government.

Australians see that cheating takes many forms, and they can be absolutely appalled at the Australian cricket team. I'm determined to see that the Australian Cricket Board take appropriate action to ensure that whatever culture was built up inside the team where they would allow something like this to flourish is dealt with swiftly so that the Australian people can be confident that their cricket team will operate within the spirit of the game.

It's also an opportune time for political parties and those involved in the political process to ensure that we are holding true to our voters and our values. I'm very proud that the Labor Party and the stance that we've taken under Bill Shorten is that we are absolutely staying true to our values. We know that, when we stray from them, we suffer electoral consequences. I'm very proud that the agenda that we are taking to the Australian people—and we also took to the last federal election—is something that is steeped in Labor values.

We will absolutely continue to represent workers and stand up for penalty rates and, if we are to win the next election, we will reintroduce them. We will absolutely crack down on labour hire and the devastating impact that it is having in Australia and particularly, in my experience, in regional communities. It is altering and changing the nature of regional towns. Once they used to be attractive places to live and work; under labour hire, they aren't. It's making it harder to get a loan for a house or a car. Families are often working at different times in different places, and it's harder for those families to plan.

We will also stick to Labor values when it comes to education. We know what those opposite are doing when it comes to their cuts, and federal Labor will ensure that we stand up for those towns and those communities that need education funding to ensure that they get equal chances, particularly those people in regional Queensland.

We will also stick to Labor values when it comes to health. We will not sit by and let those opposite cut services to health and hospitals. We will stand up with state Labor governments and ensure that we continue to fight those cuts from the federal government that are having these impacts. We will not stand by and let this happen. Federal Labor will stand up for those people who support us and vote for us. We know that we need to stay true to them and ensure that there is a federal Labor government that those people who support us can believe in and be proud of.

Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too rise to make a contribution in this matter of public importance and the urgency motion proposed by Senator Burston. It's a typical One Nation attempt to get a bit of notoriety or publicity out of very serious subject matter and to conflate needs to understand why some politicians and professional sportsmen feel the need to cheat.

We all woke up to the story that our best and brightest in the cricket world had done something which is, in my view, unpardonable. It's not in the spirit of the game. It's not in the spirit of Australian sport per se. The Australian sporting public will not look at this kindly. History will deal with these people very, very severely, and I hope that the Australian Cricket Board does the same thing. But I think this urgency motion is a really tawdry effort of taking what's quite a serious affront to Australia's sporting credentials and conflating it with a puerile political debate, as was put forward by Senator Burston, who, coincidentally or incidentally, couldn't even manage 10 minutes on his feet. He couldn't manage 10 minutes on his feet in this chamber. Talk about someone who's says they're doing one thing but then doing another—he's taking a senator's salary and senator's allowances and is probably chairing a committee, yet he's incapable of speaking for 10 minutes on a matter that he brings here as a matter of urgency. Incapable!

He used eight minutes and 29 seconds to launch into a diatribe against the Labor Party. There was no suggestion of any balance in his discourse, no suggestion of even-handedness. It was just, 'No, the Labor Party are cheats.' But the record doesn't actually bear that out. The Labor Party is not in receipt of donations for airplanes and the like which it forgot to disclosure. The Labor Party doesn't go to its base constituency and tell them that we're on track to represent them and then come into this chamber and, on almost all occasions, vote with the Liberal Party. It doesn't say one thing in the electorates out there and then come in and do another.

If you have a cursory look at some of the media in relation to the short history of Senator Hanson selling out her base, the corporate tax sellout is probably the most affronting. Her base is predominantly, I believe, in Queensland, although there are pockets of support around the country. Fortunately, in my home state, the electors seem to have resoundingly rejected One Nation philosophy. There was contemplation that she was going to control Queensland a short while ago but, obviously, that fell through. We owe her presence, as well as the presence of Senator Burston, Senator Giorgio and the like in this place, to only one person, and that's the honourable Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Without that double dissolution, we would not have had anyone other than Senator Hanson. I think that is abundantly clear. Without that double dissolution, we would not have had to put up with these puerile contributions from that side of the chamber. To bring forward a 'really important matter', in Senator Burston's words, and fail to speak on it for the 10 short minutes is unpardonable and akin to cheating itself.

Let's look at the sorts of things that they've moved on. Senator Hanson says the Family Court. She said:

Children have two parents and until we treat mums and dads with the same courtesy and rights, we will continue to see murders due to sheer frustration, depression and mental illness caused by their unworkable scheme.

She was talking about the Family Court in that quote. She was talking about the Family Court! Did she put that out in any electoral documentation? Did she get elected on the basis that really vulnerable people in the community who are protected by the Federal Court would be supporting such diatribes? On decreasing welfare she said:

I'm sorry, I can't please everyone and not everyone's going to agree with me but I have to make decisions I believe are right for this country and future generations.

So she proposed to reduce welfare. People who have supported her, who have put their tick alongside her name on the basis that she was going to advance their cause, are getting let down, very sadly, by this party. I just hope that, if a future opportunity to contribute comes up, Senator Burston will put his 10 minutes in. (Time expired)

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like many Australians, I spent a fair chunk of summer on the couch watching our Australian cricket team and, like any Australian, I was very proud to see our team perform so admirably, so well and so successfully against our rivals—England. I had particular admiration for our captain, Steve Smith. He seemed to me to be an incredibly articulate, level-headed young man—yes, a very ambitious young man and a very competitive young man, but someone who all Australians could have pride in. We all marvelled as his statistics got better and better throughout the summer as he came closer and closer—though no-one ever will—to Bradman's test batting average.

So I think every Australian who's heard the news in the last 24 hours—waking up yesterday morning to find out that the Australian cricket team and, indeed, our captain had been involved in what appears to be premeditated cheating—was very disappointed. My overwhelming sense was a sense of sadness and disappointment. It goes without saying that we expect better from our sports men and women, and that when they have the honour of representing us they are not there just to win, to fight successfully and to prevail on Australia's behalf but to represent us with honour and to uphold our values, particularly on the international stage.

Cheating in sport is bad not just because it's disappointing to us and because it's not consistent with our Australian values but because cheating in sport undermines faith in the game. It's not much fun to watch a game where you know that the outcome is premeditated, where you know the players don't abide by the rules and where you know that you can't be sure they are having a real contest. It's a pretty boring game to watch, if that's the case.

Obviously, the motion today is not just about sport; it's also about politics. If cheating is bad in sport, then it's even more serious in politics, because undermining faith in the game of politics is undermining faith in our democratic institutions, and undermining faith in our democratic institutions is a very dangerous thing to do. I think we, in this country, often presume that the prosperous, stable, harmonious liberal democracy that we enjoy is rock solid, that it is immune and that it could never regress, but the truth is that Australia, which is such a young nation, is also one of the world's oldest democracies, and we are one of the world's oldest democracies because democracy is fragile. Anything which undermines people's faith in our political system is toxic to that stability. As other senators have pointed out in this debate already, we've had a very serious example of that in recent years in my home state of Victoria where the then opposition, led by Daniel Andrews, systematically rorted taxpayers' money for political gain. They cheated in an attempt to win an election. As frustrating as that may be for me, as a Liberal, to know that the rules were being abused, that the game wasn't fair and that there was cheating, because my side was on the losing end of that political contest, as an Australian, I'm much more profoundly disturbed about what that does to our political institutions. If Australians form the view that political elections in this free country can be stolen, then no wonder they will be disillusioned completely by our election.

I want to recognise some of the people who were the victims of that scheme to defraud taxpayers to cheat the election. There were people like Donna Bauer, the member for Carrum. Unbeknownst to her, she was not just competing against the Labor Party and any funds it could raise from its members in the union movement; she was also competing against taxpayers. The candidate she was up against, and ultimately lost to, Sonya Kilkenny, was funded by Gavin Jennings, now, laughably, the Victorian Special Minister of State and responsible for administering the resources of MPs. There was Elizabeth Miller, the member for Bentley, who was campaigning against not just Nick Staikos but taxpayer funded campaigners. There was Lorraine Wreford, the member for Mordialloc, who was campaigning against not just Tim Richardson but also taxpayer funded political staff in breach of the rules spending taxpayers' money in an attempt—and, as we now know, a successful attempt—to steal an election. While we might throw around partisan points in this debate—and there are partisan points to be made—I think we all have a much greater and higher duty here, which is to preserve the system as we know it, which has served us very well. If we continue to cheat in politics and sport, we will undermine both.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd rather not contribute to this MPI today, but, unfortunately, I have to—seriously. There are so many experts and commentators out there. The sad part is you think to yourself, 'Steven, my God, man, what were you thinking?'

I just want to say to sporting heroes: kids do look up to you, so it is indefensible. I feel sorry for young Cam Bancroft. I think he's just playing his eighth test. Oh, God! Let's hope something good comes out of it.

I did listen intently to all the contributions, and yours, Acting Deputy President Reynolds, and I know the hard work that you have done in the inquiry you set up about the ARU and that terrible behaviour. I also listened to the squealing and carrying on from other senators—Senator Hume nearly blew my ears out—and I did listen to Senator Burston's contribution. All I can say—through you, Mr Acting Deputy President Whish-Wilson—is: Senator Burston, you started this, so I'm going to reply. You came in, and I thought, 'Well, this'll be interesting. I'll have a listen to you.' You started off with the ball and the no-ball comment, and all sorts of stuff, and you did go into an unbelievable tirade against Mr Shorten. You did make—I was sitting in the chair—some wild accusations there. Anyway, I want to raise this, Senator Burston, if I may. I'm not making anything up here; this is what was reported in TheSydney Morning Herald, and it's a well-known fact that I don't read TheSydney Morning Herald very much, but there was a report that accused you, Senator Burston—through you, Mr Acting Deputy President—of misleading parliament in your maiden speech. You are here. You can make a point of order should you feel the need to, and I would expect that, if I'm saying anything wrong, Senator Burston, you must pounce out of that seat. In fact, you must jump so high you're going to hit your head on that steel beam up there.

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Senator Burston?

Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Acting Deputy President, on a point of order: I did repeat those statements that I lectured at university—

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's not a point of order, Senator Burston.

Brian Burston (NSW, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He's accusing me of not—

Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That's a debating point. Senator Sterle.

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Burston, I haven't accused you of anything yet. Wait for this. Let's go back to the article in TheSydney Morning Herald, where, as I said, you're accused of misleading parliament in your maiden speech, when you said to this chamber, and to honourable senators in here, and to all those listening, that you 'lectured in teacher education at Newcastle University'. It is on the Hansard. But, Senator Burston, I believe you were caught out when Newcastle university said that it had 'no record of Brian Burston ever being employed'. What did come out of it, Senator Burston—and take a point of order and scream me down through the Acting Deputy President if I'm wrong, or if I'm misleading honourable senators, or the Senate, or those who may be listening—is that it's true that you were actually a TAFE diploma of teaching lecturer at the Newcastle College of Advanced Education. So, one would think, and we should all think, Senator Burston, that you thought you were being a little bit tricky or that you could've got away with the comment because the university and TAFE amalgamated six years after you lectured there. Senator Burston, that's a very inglorious contribution that you made on your first time in here. I haven't seen Senator Burston or anyone else jump up to scream me down and say that I'm presenting misleading information to the Senate, because I know darn well I'm not. To quote an old saying: the silence is deafening.

We've heard from other senators today—from Senator Watt and Senator Gallacher—and it's a well-known fact that, if you're going to start throwing rocks in this place, you'd better make sure your own backyard is very, very, clear, very clean and very, very far away from any accusations of cheating. It is a well-known fact, as to One Nation, through this nation, that there's still an investigation by the Electoral Commission into the use of a privately supplied plane that, at one stage, Senator Hanson's chief of staff said he owned. Then we found out it was actually owned by a gentleman called, I think, Mr William McNee, a property developer. I think he threw $50,000-odd at the One Nation campaign. The more I go on—I really, really wish that I had 20 minutes. Senator Burston, you have just made a complete and absolute goog of yourself.

Question agreed to.