Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

It ought to be possible for this country to have a sensible discussion about how our Federation can work better. Obviously Labor leaders who actually have to exercise responsibility are prepared to have this sensible discussion, because we had the Labor Premier of South Australia, Mr Weatherill, on national radio this morning saying:

…. it’s only a discussion paper.

We’ve been asking them to canvas the broader range of options.

There’s a broad debate going on about Commonwealth/state relations, which is a good thing.

So the only people who seem to think that it is a bad thing to have a proper debate on this subject are the members opposite, which again just goes to show how low the Labor Party, at least in this particular parliament, have sunk—that they are not even prepared to have a proper debate. The Labor Premier of South Australia cautioned against playing politics over Federation reform. Unfortunately, that is just what members opposite have been trying to do today. They were trying to do it yesterday and I suspect they will try to do it all week because they do not have much. They absolutely do not have much.

Again, let me say to the Leader of the Opposition that what matters here is not what goes into the process; what matters here is what comes out of the process. As far as this government is concerned, what will come out of the process are proposals for much better public hospitals and much better public schools and proposals for a better and stronger Federation with better services for the people of Australia. That is what the public expect of us. That is what the people expect of us. They expect a mature debate out of which will come sensible proposals for the betterment of our country—proposals, of course, that this government would certainly intend to take to an election.

See this speech in context