Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Wong) to a question without notice I asked today relating to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

What a disappointment it is that, after a decade of broken promises and wasted time, we now see the Murray-Darling Basin without the water that was promised to be returned to it from the big, greedy irrigators upstream. Again and again and again, South Australia has been dudded, and I fear we will be dudded once more. We need to make sure that any move to delay action on delivering water for South Australia and delivering water for the Murray is not simply kicking the can down the road but, instead, is actually guaranteeing that the water we need to keep the lower reaches of the Murray flowing is delivered, and delivered in a timely manner.

There have been broken promises, wasted opportunity, politicking, upstream rorting and greed. It is time they ended, and I'll be fighting hard in this place to make sure that South Australia is not dudded again. I don't care what side of politics it is; our state needs a healthy river. We need our water, and the environment needs it more than ever.

While I'm here I also wish to take note of the question put by the opposition to the government in relation to the Voice. What a disgrace we saw in here this afternoon from members of the Liberal and National parties. While that question was being asked, division sown and mistruths promoted, we saw the very same thing happening in the House of Representatives, led, of course, by none other than Mr Peter Dutton, the man who walked out of the apology to the stolen generation, the bloke who has form in turning his back on Indigenous Australians, the guy who thinks his only ticket to leadership and to the Lodge is to keep seeding division, hate and racism.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, I have a senator on his feet.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order, I understand that Senator Hanson-Young is passionate about these matters; however, 'the guy who thinks' is hardly an appropriate reference to the opposition leader. She should address him by his correct title.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, please reflect on delivery of your speech.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy President. I wish we had a leader of the opposition who thought harder about the vision he has for this country, a leader who didn't seek to pin his entire leadership aspirations for the country on division, fear and racism. But that is all we get from Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Scarr, you have the call.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on personal reflection. The senator said that the opposition leader was seeking to sow division, and gave a whole stream of commentary after that. You simply can't impugn the motivations of any member of this place or the other chamber in that way, and I ask for her to withdraw.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, for the benefit of the chamber I ask you to withdraw to that extent and to be careful with your comments.

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I withdraw. What we've seen here today and this week is a toxic campaign led by Peter Dutton—the man who walked out of the apology to the stolen generation, the man who, in hope of holding the leadership of the Liberal-National coalition, thinks sowing division and fear and racism is his ticket. It is just appalling that the alternative prime minister in this country would prefer to divide our nation and promote mistruths rather than unite people. The fearmongering is astonishing, even for the likes of Mr Peter Dutton, and I fear that it's only going to get worse because the only thing that the Leader of the Liberal Party—otherwise known as 'the nasty party'—does is to continue to race-bait, fearmonger and promote lies. That is the only thing that Peter Dutton is good for.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Scarr.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Deputy President, on a number of occasions you asked Senator Hanson-Young to consider her words. Again she let off a plethora of insults and invective against the Leader of the Opposition in the lower house. She should withdraw.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, I bring you back to measured comments in this chamber, particularly in the context of the Set the standard report. I ask you to withdraw to the extent that the comments were offensive. That allows the other comments to still remain on the record. Could you do that for the proper conduct of the chamber?

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have nothing else to add, and I will withdraw.

Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for your courtesy to me.

Question agreed to.