House debates

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Statements by Members

Leader of the Opposition

1:46 pm

Photo of Tim WilsonTim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Both people and principles are disposable to Bill Shorten. Many know him as a shady, faceless figure plotting the execution of two Prime Ministers in the shadows of Canberra's Chinese restaurants. Some know him for stalling marriage equality for political pointscoring. Others know him as the robotic, Blade Runner-esque replicant agreeing with what has been said, without even hearing it.

The gospel of Shorten is 'thou shalt put Bill first'. He was elected to serve the people of Maribyrnong. He's now seeking to shaft them for an electorate he can better take for granted. He gave a rolled-gold guarantee that Labor MPs wouldn't resign as dual citizens; they're now signing their resignations. In government he supported tax cuts; in opposition he switched. In rural Queensland he spruiked new mining projects; in inner Melbourne he was slippery in opposing them. He seemingly advocated for worker's rights as a union official; he then sold out their wages to boost union coffers. The trade union royal commission clocked up 14 different findings against the AWU for corruption, false accounting and breaches of law, and mostly while Bill Shorten was their shady leader. Workers never got justice, while he simply slipped and slithered his way into parliament. There is a reason they call him 'Shifty, Shady Shorten'.