Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

No amount of cat-calling from the member for Paterson is going to change that. It is very sad that the member for Flinders did not tell the whole story in his attempts to run out and attack the minister for the environment. He forgot to mention, too, that those on this side of the House have been working constructively and closely with the fisher groups and also with the minister to get this change. But the member for Flinders did not mention the member for Braddon. He did not mention the member for Corangamite and others. Why would that be? He was not trying to score a political point, was he? Was he really trying to fix the situation or was he trying to ramp up some public meetings and put out another petition, knowing very well that the minister would meet the obligation to introduce legislation rather than regulation and administration to change the current law forced on us as part of the Howard government’s legislation? The minister acted responsibly and quickly, and I thank all those on this side who worked with the minister instead of grandstanding in little public meetings, knowing very well that we could do nothing until the legislation was passed. I commend the minister for his action on this. I certainly commend the member for Corangamite—and the member for Braddon, frankly—and all those on this side who tried to do something about it. Shame on the member for Flinders for not telling the full story about what was necessary to change this legislation.

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