Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is a day of firsts. It is a day of firsts, and the member for Lyons might have to have a meeting in my office! But, this is serious. It is a very serious day. I think the previous member said something about the hissing of a balloon. What I heard was the thunk of a bus—and then, when given an opportunity to recant, he backed the bus back over him again! He backed it back over him again. Those opposite are in complete disarray.

Now we could stand here all day I think and not use the same material. We could start with: 'I have got a good idea. Let's have an eight-week election campaign in the middle of winter.' That was a good one from this government, wasn't it? That was gold. The Australian public loved it too. That is why they returned them with a smaller majority. The numbers over here increased; the numbers over there decreased. But, of course, the Prime Minister suggested that he had a working majority—and then those opposite set about proving him wrong! That is what they have been doing since he became the Prime Minister. If we could have whipped that out ourselves, but we did not need to.

The Minister for Justice was off—'Boarding call! Boarding call!' There he was in the lounge ready to leave, while the rest of us were still here at work. Not only are they dysfunctional; they are workshy. They are absolutely workshy. This mob have no intention of doing any work. They want to talk about employment rates and unemployment rates. They want to talk about workers. They need to show up and do some work in this place. We have had 100 days since the election—it is over 100 now—and we have sat for 15 days in this place. We have been asked for 15 days to show up here and represent the electors who had to vote for us, to bring us back to this place to represent them here.

We could go on all day. We will try the next one. What was next? The census. Now that went well, didn't it? Then today we find in Senate estimates that the census fail cost $30 million, because those opposite could not organise themselves into portfolios and take responsibility for the jobs they were given—but we can understand that now. It is now more than 100 days since the census failed. Also, we still do not know who the senior minister is for Defence. But I can say this: I woke up this morning to headlines that said the killing season was coming. I did not realise it would be here so quickly. I really did not realise that we would be moving into the killing season. I want to reference my good mate Senator Dastyari. He gave a speech in which he said that 'winter is coming'. Remember: winter is coming. Well, the sun is shining outside and those opposite are nearly finished.

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