Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's about the outcomes and who is responsible for the outcomes. It's about the government of the day. Isn't it ironic, the member for McPherson saying that he needs to resign and leave parliament!

Former New South Wales Liberal premier Gladys Berejiklian described the member for Cook as 'a horrible, horrible person' and bemoaned that he was 'more concerned with politics than people'. Then we have French President Emmanuel Macron, who said, when asked whether the member for Cook had lied to him, 'I don't think, I know.'

He doesn't hold a hose, he doesn't order enough vaccinations and he says, 'It's not my job.' The thing that's hilarious is that during the election campaign we had these corflute signs that said, 'Not my job!' They were splattered throughout Western Australia. But the thing that's ironic is he had five extra jobs that we didn't know about. How is the Australian public to know? I think the irony of that is amusing—except for the fact that this is our democracy. This is a really special place to be.

I would remind people that when we had the censure moment in the House and the member for Cook's colleagues—what was interesting for me, as I watched in this place, is that everyone, after the censure moment, lined up to shake the hand of this man, after this really monumental moment in this parliament. There was this line of support which, to me, was the symbolism of condoning the behaviours of our previous prime minister. I want to see an improvement in our parliament, and this is the reason that we have this bill, but I think that the other side need to reflect on their behaviours and reflect on what renewal looks like. If you continue to do what you're doing and get stuck in the past, you're not going to see where the rest of Australia is going. The support was amusing, and I think it's something that we need to recognise. The seventh edition of the House of Representatives Practice says:

A censure motion, as the words imply, expresses more a disapproval or reprimand at particular actions or policies of the Government …

A former Prime Minister being censured in the House of Representatives for the first time is historically significant. There was one exception. I remember looking across the chamber during that time, and there was one member I saw who, to me, looked like she had the weight of the whole other side of the House on her shoulders.

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