Madonna Jarrett (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is the first State of Origin game tonight, and I am a true Queenslander. It's a clash of the game's greatest. Like any good game, you need a game plan and courage if you're the one that's going to come out on top. It's a bit like this place. On this side of the House you have the mighty Maroons focused and ready to win, while on that side you've got the Blues with most of their bench out injured and still looking for a decent coach. But the Maroons have their game plan: the Prime Minister will have the first carry, with a breakthrough on tax cuts, cheaper fuel and cheaper medicines; the Treasurer will do a cut-out pass and find some savings on the wings; and then it's going back to the PM, who will score under the posts with a fairer deal for first home buyers.

On the other hand, the Blues went into the season opener with higher taxes and then tackled every cost-of-living measure the Maroons could push forward with. The captain of the Blues even said he'd repeal the tax changes, which was ruled a knock-on by the Australian people. We're not even at the end of the first half, and the Maroons are up by 52 seats. The weather's come in, the crowds want more action and they can't get into a home of their own. So what does the captain do? What does the Prime Minister do? He does the left-foot step and scores a try on housing, and in the post-match interview he said he saw the weather, he heard the crowds and he did what any good captain would do—while the Blues ignored the rules, leaving holes in their defence. The Blues are now back in the shed and we'll see if they've got a better— (Time expired)

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