Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Actually, I am deadly serious. Of course, you were not here, so you do not realise that that was a courtesy that we always extended to you when you were in opposition. It is symbolic of a government that is already so arrogant and out of touch. It is not being disrespectful to the opposition; it is being disrespectful to the Australian people, who elect people to this chamber to fully assess the impact of legislative change on their lives. We have this legislation that is apparently going to be rammed through by this government. I think it is a disgrace. I think it is symptomatic of a government that are already so arrogant and out of touch that they are prepared to treat the Australian people—the people who are represented in this place—with such extreme contempt. I would therefore like to move a second reading amendment. I move:

That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words: “while not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House records its concerns at the haste with which this bill is to be dealt with and calls for the bill to be referred to the Senate Economics Committee for review, which will allow those with practical expertise and legitimate interest in the proposals to have an input”.

I think that that is a very sound policy, and I urge the government to consider it. It makes sense that this legislation be given a proper assessment, as is proper in this place. It is appropriate that that be done within the Senate economics committee, and I urge the government to drop some of its arrogant persona that the Australian people are now seeing and to consider joining with the opposition in allowing this bill to be properly assessed.

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