Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Resources and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

They are the same types of assurances that the member for Groom gave the government in the lead-up to last Christmas—that he would deliver the coalition rooms in support of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Not only that, he made very strong public statements that the CPRS is the best thing since sliced bread. That is what he said: the best thing since sliced bread. Here we have the member for Groom—who has a bit of standing and respect in the Australian community—fully understanding the complex nature of negotiations, because he himself went through them around the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in the lead-up to last Christmas. Unfortunately, he failed miserably. I know it took him a long time to recover because, at about the same time, a new leader was elected. And, because he dared to stand in support of fundamental change in Australia, structural reform, he was sacked.

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