Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was saying that we are demeaning ourselves as politicians. I also said that Minister Albanese and Parliamentary Secretary Gray have treated me with inordinate courtesy at all times and have had me at openings. I acknowledge that publicly. What a pity it is that that bipartisanship and decency does not extend to all portfolios. For those on both sides who think it is smart to do those sorts of things, and who have done so in the past, all it does is diminish us as politicians. When I went out to that little school we talked about, the topic of conversation after the opening—and it was opened by the principal, for heaven’s sake!—was: ‘What a dreadful thing they did to our local member.’ So anyone who thought that they were silencing me or getting some political advantage did the exact opposite.

Let me put this on the record: any minister, parliamentary secretary or officer of the parliament who comes to my electorate will be treated with great courtesy. I will acknowledge them, I will move votes of thanks and I will do whatever is required of me when they are there. In fact, I will meet them at the airport and, if they are short of a feed before they go back, I will take them to lunch. I acknowledge that we should never underestimate the value of having a minister or parliamentary secretary, from whichever side is in power, visit our electorates. So I give a guarantee: if any minister, parliamentary secretary or officer of the parliament comes to my electorate, they will be treated with great courtesy. But let me warn you: if anyone demeans the office of this parliament by ignoring me or by sending some minor official or by having a principal or some apparatchik open a building, I will make it totally uncomfortable for them and I will make a political issue of it.

Let me also say this: I think it would be a good idea if, perhaps through the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests, we sat down in a bipartisan way and wrote guidelines on this for the future. I acknowledge that it has happened on both sides of the parliament, but I find this appalling. I do not play the sort of games in my electorate that we have talked about in this parliament this morning, and I have pledged to act properly and in keeping with the high standards of this House. Every time we do one of these dodgy deals, we diminish ourselves as a parliament and we do an insult to the people of this country.

See this speech in context