Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Wong) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

Today was a demonstration of why this government is not fit to continue as a government because, really, when you are elected and given the honour of being a government by the Australian people, you have two main jobs to do. Your first job is to do what you said you would do. Generally speaking, if you're elected to government, you'll have a list of things that you promised to do for the Australian people, and your first job should be to implement them to the letter and keep your promises. The second job you have is to respond to events. There are things that happen to any government that can't be expected or predicted, and the Australian people expect a government that shows the strength, the wisdom and the consistency to respond to those challenges in a way that pursues our national interest and national harmony.

Today, in multiple questions, we saw how this government has failed on both of those questions. It made a number of clear promises—the Anthony Albanese government. Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister himself, made a number of clear and direct promises to the Australian people three years ago. Prime among those was his promise to cut the Australian people's power bills by $275. He said that on almost 100 occasions ahead of the election. He promised that he would, if he got in, have the policies to reduce power bills by $275 by this financial year that we're in right now. Of course, I don't think I need to remind Australians that that promise has not been met. Since three years ago, most Australians would have received around 12 power bills—there are about a dozen bills every quarter—in their letterbox, and it would appear, almost every time, that they get higher and higher and higher. They have not gone down. In fact, the average power bill for the average family has gone up by almost $500 a year, and some big families have faced increases of $1,000 or more since this government was elected.

Not only have the bills not gone down by $275; they've instead gone up by this $500 or more. It's not just a broken promise; it's a reverse broken promise. It's gone in the opposite direction than the Prime Minister mentioned, and today, in question time, we had the embarrassing spectacle where the Leader of the Government in the Senate would not answer a simple question about whether that promise had beep kept or not. Instead, the leader of the government just deflected to what our policies were and what different types of energy are banned in this country. She could not stand behind her own promise. The question before the Australian people is, if you couldn't trust them last time, how can you trust them this time? They didn't do what they said last time, so, with anything they say and promise you in the next few weeks, how can you at all trust that they would implement those as well? You can't.

The other test that is before any government is how you respond to events. The world has been shocked in the last 18 months by the events of 7 October. They were shocking, tragic and terrible. They were on the other side of the world, but they affected all people that share sympathy with humanity and want to see decency in our world. Unfortunately, in our country, we had the almost immediate rise of tensions and divisions among different communities here in Australia with the shocking events at the Sydney Opera House just days or, I think, hours after the original attacks.

Really, from that get go, we haven't had a prime minister that's shown strength and consistency in his response. No-one expects the Prime Minister to solve the issues over there in the Middle East or even completely remove the tensions that result in this country—it's a very emotional issue for people—but, unfortunately, he hasn't shown a level of consistency in responding to this matter, and we've seemingly allowed these issues to bubble over in the past 18 months. We got to the point yesterday, perhaps—hopefully, it will be the apogee of this. Hopefully, we can finally turn the shocking tension and threats of violence around, but the revelation yesterday of two nurses in Western Sydney effectively threatening to kill people or not treat people, to leave them to die, is not something any Australian thought they would see in this country. Today, in question time, it became apparent that the government was not even aware that both of these nurses could still potentially practice outside of New South Wales. I give credit to the New South Wales government for immediately removing their registration, but that had not been done nationally, and the government was not aware. I'm advised now that, since question time, their registration has been removed across the country. I welcome that, but it does raise the question of why this government continues to seem to be flat-footed on these issues and can't respond in a strong way that brings Australians together and draws a clear line that the kind of conduct we saw will never be tolerated in our harmonious and wonderful country.

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is no-one from the government seeking the call?

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're trying to facilitate the moving on of the agenda.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There were plenty of things that you lot could have done today to ensure a smooth day, but, yet again, we see Labor losing control of the chamber.

This is absolutely outrageous. This part of the day occurs every day, and I am more than entitled to take note of the pathetic responses that we heard yet again from Minister Wong when it came to the security and safety of Jewish Australians. This was on the day after we saw not only antisemitic rants that called on the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews and Israelis but also nurses in the New South Wales health system declaring that they would personally kill anyone who came into the hospital if they were an Israeli—absolutely disgraceful.

Only yesterday we had the Israel caucus here. Those opposite might be upset we're taking note of this, but disappointingly there is not one Labor member of the friends of Israel caucus. There's not one Labor sitting MP, in either this place or the other place, that is a member. That is the respect that they hold Jewish Australians in. Well done to former member Mike Kelly and former member Michael Danby, who restored some faith in the old Labor that used to stand with our Israeli allies, but we know that this government, which is run by the Labor left, is bereft of these principles that had always been upheld with old Labor. That's why it is time for this Labor government to be shown the door.

Quite possibly this is the last day of this parliament, and I hope so. I hope Australians have the opportunity to boot this lot out as quickly as possible. Everything that they are doing is putting the safety and security of not only Jewish Australians but all Australians at risk. All Australians are at risk because of the rising tide of antisemitism. We saw a caravan in Dural, and the PM still won't even acknowledge when he was briefed on it, because he wasn't—because he can't be trusted. The AFP and the New South Wales Premier didn't even tell him about a caravan full of explosives in Dural, in New South Wales, which would have had a blast range of some 40 metres, because he couldn't be trusted. That tells you everything you need to know about this Prime Minister. He cannot be trusted.

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that she withdraw that.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will not withdraw. That was not a reflection at all. I will not be withdrawing, because Australians cannot trust this Prime Minister.

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hughes, I'm required to rule. I will ask you to withdraw.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I politely decline. Saying someone can't be trusted is not a reflection.

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

I do think that the way we conduct ourselves in these questions, all of us—

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you can just get your point.

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

I intend to—as quickly as I can. It is important for the efficient management of the chamber—all of us overstep the mark from time to time. I did it earlier today, and I withdrew immediately. It's not an opportunity to argue with the acting deputy president.

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Senator Hughes, you may continue.

Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So sensitive—we can't even criticise the Prime Minister. The lack of trust in the Prime Minister that Australians are clearly showing is being reflected not only in the polls but in the betting markets—they're an absolute cracker. But this lack of trust in the Prime Minister is being shown because all Australians know they are not safe with this Prime Minister. They know that the Jewish Australian community is not safe. A caravan in Dural had a blast radius of 40 metres, and that could have taken out possibly hundreds of people, not just Jewish Australians. In fact, one of the targets is about 300 metres from where I live. Who knows who could have been affected by this? But this Prime Minister couldn't even be briefed on it.

Yet today, when they were asked questions about the abhorrent behaviour of these nurses in Bankstown hospital, in my home state of New South Wales—crickets. The Prime Minister has not called for a National Cabinet. The Prime Minister has not done anything. We saw from Minister Wong today a passing of the buck to New South Wales so they can deal with it. They were completely unaware that, even when New South Wales had deregistered these nurses, these nurses could go and work in Victoria, Tasmania or anywhere.

Thankfully, since question time, after they were once again led by the nose by the opposition, we've found out that the nurses have now been deregistered across the country. Once again, action is being taken after the opposition has had to bring their attention to their inadequacies, and we see it time and time again. Bring on the election. Give this lot the boot. Stand with Jewish Australians—because the Holocaust didn't start with the gas chambers; it started with the actions that we're seeing on the streets of Sydney. Yet the weak and incompetent leadership that we're seeing, the inaction and ineptitude of this Prime Minister, is absolutely allowing it to fester and develop and grow.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this the last Senate sitting day before the 2025 election, it's worth reminding Australian voters of one thing. That one thing is that Anthony Albanese in May 2022 promised Australians that life would be better under Labor. Instead, three years later, Australians have got poorer and Australians are less safe. At this election, just weeks away, I ask Australians to think about this seriously: should Anthony Albanese be rewarded for a promise that he has clearly broken?

Question agreed to.