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

The carping that we have heard today is, indeed, what we have heard for the last 12 months from an opposition who know nothing but opposition. I think that is the key to understanding their psyche: they are in opposition. They do not like being in opposition. They have not accepted the result from the Australian people at the last election. They do not like it. They cannot grow up and move on. And they have a leader who can offer little example except in negativity. There is no creativity in the Leader of the Opposition except in the creation of slogans, except in the creation of more negativity and except in the creation of stunts, and even those stunts do not work.

This week there was a classic example of a stunt, starting off with a great deal of fanfare. He could not even bring it into this House at the right time because he did not even know when the parliament was sitting. Of course, he had the flagship of the opposition, the Australian newspaper, beating this stuff up, and he could not even bring it into this House as legislation. Then it got shot down in flames in the other house, and we did not hear any more about the so-called plebiscite in this place. The week started off with the raging headlines about a plebiscite: 'Take the Australian people to a plebiscite so they can make their decision.' What happened to it? It died an undignified death in here—they could not even get it in the place—and in the Senate it got what it deserved; that is, a contemptuous response. That is the sum total of the opposition this week—that and the constant carping that we have heard from this mob for 12 months.

In fact, if you take the time to look at the facts and look at the record of this government over the last 12 months and before, it is a record of substance. It is a constructive, successful and progressive record. What has it achieved? Contrary to what those on the other side would have had—and contrary to their flagship, the Australian newspaper, and other News Ltd paraphernalia—what we have is a strong economy, a sustainable environment and an ongoing fair society. And, with all that, we are delivering our election commitments. As I said, we have been constructive, we have been progressive and we have been successful. Those on the other side are about slogans, negativity and stunts.

If you went out to the streets and asked, 'What are the major policies of the opposition?' the only policies you would ever hear about are no, no, no. There is no body of policy. There is no platform of policy except carping, negativity—no—and stunts, and when they do the stunts they do not work. So what do the opposition stand for? I think the Australian people would tell you, 'They might stand for bringing back Work Choices.' When you ask people out there, 'What is their policy for dealing with climate change?' they do not have a clue, except that some, who might have been doing some reading—you would not want to read the Australian newspaper to find this out because they do not even analyse it—might say, 'I think they want to subsidise polluters with taxpayers' money and let the taxpayer pay for those polluters.' They might say that, but apart from that they know nothing about this opposition except the negativity and the carping. I have had the pleasure of looking through our record over the last few years and what a terrific record it is. We have much to be proud of. First and foremost—and you would never believe it if you listen to those on the other side—this country, along with the rest of the world, went through a financial global crisis and this country came through relatively better—indeed, comparatively better—than just about every other economy. Is that recognised on the other side? No.

See this speech in context