Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week the Cold War in the Labor Party has broken out into open kinetic conflict. The member for Hunter finally said what most Australians have known for a long time when he said: 'Labor has become defined by its climate change policies.' He said that working people know that 'Labor is in bed with the Greens', and he said tradies and workers these days are turning up to polling booths with Liberal-National party polling cards.

It was about time someone on the opposition benches finally noticed. The Labor Party is an absolute shadow of its former self. It doesn't care about workers anymore. It cares about one thing and one thing only: pursuing an elitist, metropolitan campaign of ideological zealotry on climate change, no matter the cost to ordinary Australians and their jobs. Labor has lost faith with the workers. Labor has abandoned them, and the member for Hunter knows it. He's laid down the gauntlet. This morning he's calling for the member for Hindmarsh's head, but we all know where this is going. He's coming for the Leader of the Opposition—either that, or he's setting in place the opportunity for someone else to do so, like the member for Corio, perhaps. The knives are out, but it won't make any difference. Workers already know that there is only one side of politics in this country which stands up for them—and that's the Liberal-National coalition.