Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What an unlooked-for opportunity, with a couple of minutes to go before we have two-minute contributions being led off, I think, by Senator Henderson. In this Senate-only week, it should be the Senate's time to shine. It should be the Senate's opportunity to show the people of Australia what a house of review can achieve in terms of improving government legislation and subjecting the work of the government and the parliament to proper critical review. But the problem is that this Senate—or a very large part of it—has stopped doing its job. Well-paid senators are bludging here and engaging in student politics—not real politics for Australian people.

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

Senator Ayres, please resume your seat. Senator Henderson?

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Point of order: reflecting on a senator. Given that Senator Ayres named me in his contribution and then made those most inappropriate comments, I would ask that he withdraw those comments.

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

Senator Henderson, I'll help you out. There is no point of order. Resume your seat.

Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very happy to withdraw and to assure Senator Henderson—she may not have heard—that I was simply indicating that she will be leading the two-minute contributions that we are shortly to experience.

The victims of this hyperpartisanship are not the government or the legislation; it's ordinary Australians. In terms of well-paid senators not doing their job, the victims are nurses on $90,000 a year, teachers, truck drivers and tradies. When they are trying to seek equity to purchase their own home and can't get there—because of the Australian Greens political party, the One Nation party, some members of the crossbench and the Liberal and National parties, which have thoroughly lost their way—who should they blame? They should blame Mr Dutton and Mr Littleproud, whose venal political partisanship leads them to this negative conclusion all of the time. They should blame Mr Bandt and the Greens political party, who've been led by Mr Chandler-Mather into this political cul-de-sac. It has caused immense damage to ordinary Australian families who just want to get a go on the real estate ladder.

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

It being 1.30 pm, we shall now move to two-minute statements.