David Leyonhjelm (NSW, Liberal Democratic Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Acting Deputy President, I plan to recite a poem. You will recognise its origins but the subject matter is contemporary:

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around

That the cops from Border Force were on their way,

And had joined the tram conductors—'tickets please' would be the sound,

And 'your papers please'—'you may have over-stayed'.

All the armed and muscled black shirts, led by their new czar

Were primed and ready for a fight,

For the black shirts love to hunt where the brown and black boys are,

And the Commish sniffs the limelight with delight.

There was Von Quadbike, who left the cops to run the Customs crew,

He stripped them of their cardigans and smiles;

He injected fear of migrants and scary imports too,

No journalist could peek into his files.

And Tony, Scott, and Peter were keen to lend a hand,

Giving power to the black shirts warmed their souls;

With weekly tales of freedoms to be banned,

It's the best way to pick up in the polls.

And one was there, a pollie with a thin and reedy bray, Nothing like the statesman that we need,

If the black shirts want a crackdown Mister Shorten will obey, Foreign workers are a problem, he agreed.

But the people saw the press release and rallied in the streets, This should not happen to folk with different skins.

We like to think Australia is young and free;

And to jaywalk while brown is not a sin.

The crackdown—it was cancelled—and now Shorten's white with foam, While pollies claim they never saw the plan.

But Border Force is still on foot, the black shirts free to roam:

Our freedoms only safe 'til next week's scheduled ban.