House debates

Thursday, 13 September 2012

Bills

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Declared Fishing Activities) Bill 2012; Second Reading

9:34 am

Photo of Mike KellyMike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Why would anybody from that side stand up and oppose that? Why would the member for Dawson or anybody else who has significant recreational fishing or commercial fishing in their electorate seek to oppose those people and those interests in having a say, in being consulted to ensure that their views and their information are included in determinations by the regulatory authorities and by the ministers? What is wrong with that? What we are seeing here today is not an argument based on this legislation or the things that it seeks to fix; what we are seeing today is the 'Tony Abbott Leader of the Opposition playbook' being rolled out yet again, ad nauseam—and the public is nauseous in relation to this tactic. The tactic has completely worn off. You are going down the wrong road; give up on this course of action.

What the Australian public wants to see from you is cooperation in the national interest, for once. They are sick and tired of the negativity. They are sick and tired of the mindless point-scoring, the cheap politics and the mendacious approach to every issue that comes into this place. They are sick of the 'no, no, no' approach to dealing with the issues that confront this nation. For once, come on board with something that takes into account the things that make good policy. Vote for this legislation.

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