Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

We are debating this tonight for one reason and one reason only: the Prime Minister has refused to negotiate. He has refused to negotiate with the men and women whose votes he sought to obtain. He has treated this parliament with so much disingenuous contempt. He stood here in this House and said this bill had to be passed within 48 hours, that if it were not passed in 48 hours the payments could not be made from Centrelink, that we did not have the time to scrutinise legislation and that we did not have the time to have an inquiry. The Senate stood up to the Prime Minister and they had an inquiry, and along to the inquiry came the head of Centrelink. What did the head of Centrelink say? ‘Oh, it could be passed this week.’ The urgency that we were told about last week had no basis in fact.

We have said from the outset, from the very outset, that we are prepared to sit down with the government and speak.

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