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

Madam Acting Deputy President Polley, I want to follow on from your comments. You've contributed to this debate too. You and I came in here together 18 years ago, with hopes of—

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Eighteen years? No!

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

Yes, I know. It only feels like 18 years ago, but we have just witnessed—correct me if I'm wrong—one of the most insane sessions I think we've ever gone through. When the Labor government, proudly trying to put through its Housing Australia Future Fund, the $10 billion program to build some 30,000 new social homes, tried to get extra hours yesterday, the Greens—listen, everyone out there—held hands with the 'no-alition' to defeat the motion. Then, no later than this morning, they were saying they wanted more time to debate this magnificent piece of policy. And then, within two or three hours, they're holding hands again with the 'no-alition' to kick the bill off the table—to just kick it down the road. And then I sat in your chair, Madam Acting Deputy President, and witnessed one of the Greens, Senator Allman-Payne, get up and start talking about the need for social housing. Please, am I in a dream? Hang on. Oh, Jesus, that hurt!

I can't believe what I've witnessed today! There's the 'noalition' holding hands with them in the corner. I've called them a few things over the last few days, but the most fitting is a part of the 'noalition'. Maybe they should change their name to 'the 10 who fell out of the cuckoo's nest'. I can't believe what we're experiencing here today! Thirty thousand homes! We've just gone through nine years of a terrible, rotten, stinking government that did nothing, that didn't even have a housing minister, and you lot want more. You don't get it, because none of you have been in any position to spend your own money; you want to spend everyone else's money. I cannot believe this is happening in Australia in 2023. (Time expired)