Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent further consideration of the second reading stage of the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024 without limitation of time.

Well, the fix is in, isn't it? We've got the two major parties in the dead of night trying to pass a bill that is going to entrench their stale, putrid monopoly. That's what you expect from stale, putrid major parties who have no policy ideas of their own and where all they can do is manipulate the law and manipulate the rules to constantly protect themselves. The public are awake to this. If you look at the combined primary vote of the two major parties, it is going one way and that is down—because this chamber is nothing but a Punch and Judy show by members of parties who are party bred and party fed. One of my former staffers used to call it 'Union bred, union fed', but what we really have here is major party bred, major party fed. They're the same careerists who started off in the Young LNP and Young Labor, they've never had any real life experience and they don't know how to relate to the common man on the street. The only way that they can continue to protect their little racket is to manipulate the rules of the game. I'm a victim of that because my own party manipulated the rules of the game, and I took them to court. Do you know what the judge said? 'We're not going to rule. Political parties aren't justiciable.' There you have it, people. The Supreme Court of Queensland ruled that the very political parties who make the law are above the law. What sort of a democratic system is that?

We've had three years to debate this bill, but no—these guys cannot face scrutiny. If you put any sunlight on these guys, it's like throwing water on a witch: they'll just fade away like in the Wizard of Oz'I'm melting!' Not only do they not have any policy solutions to deal with the cost of living or anything like that; they just want to keep their protection racket going. I am calling you guys out. I think it's a very low act to be guillotining this bill, and it's a very low act to be pushing it through in what looks to be the last sitting week of this term. There have been no solutions in this term. The first half of the term was dominated by Labor and the Voice, where they wanted to split the country on race. The second half has been all about Israel and Palestine, because that's a nice deflection from the fact that none of you guys have any solutions to deal with the cost of living, the immigration problem, the cost of housing or the energy crisis, or to help people who are struggling from government neglect through vaccine injuries, robodebt—you name it.

This place has a stench. It is a dead, putrid carcass flapping in the breeze, and the people of Australia are awake to it. We'll see more and more people turn away from the major parties. The only way the major parties can protect themselves is by having dodgy rules. The one that really grinds my gears—and I'll be moving an amendment on this in a minute—is that parties that get less than four per cent of the vote don't get any electoral funding whatsoever. So, if you vote for a minor party, in the eyes of the major party you're not as worth as much. They will only reward you if you vote for one of them. That's straight-out bribery. There ought to be laws against that. Everyone who votes should be worth $3.50 a vote, but, of course, the major parties don't want the minor parties and wouldn't like the minor parties getting some money, because God forbid the minor parties actually have some solutions and aren't beholden to the big end of town.

Pay attention to all these amendments. What are we always asking for at this end of the chamber? Greater accountability, greater scrutiny and greater protection of the people. But do we get that? No. What we have is these two major parties protecting the big end of town, big government, the big bureaucracies, big media, big corporations and their mates in the big super funds. It's all about the establishment. On that side you've got the command-and-control communists and on this side you've got the born-to-rule fascists. It doesn't matter what you do, the two major parties are only interested in controlling you, not serving you.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the question be now put.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Gallagher that the question be put be agreed to.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question before the chamber is that the standing orders be suspended.