Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sorry, Mr Deputy President: the new Leader of the Opposition, who replaced poor Mr Beazley. You claimed to be serious. You came into this place during question time and wrung your hands with indignation about someone’s treatment, yet when you had the opportunity to speak on the issue during the taking note of answers—which even in my short time here I have seen is reserved for the discussion of important matters raised during question time—there was not one word. Instead, there was some extraordinary general spray about climate change. I have worked with Senator Lundy. We put together a report in relation to women in sport. She was clearly set up. I respect Senator Lundy, and we did a great job with that report. But she has been set up. How can you go out now into the public and talk about your concern for David Hicks when you did not have the intestinal fortitude or the intellectual rigour to raise the matter today during the taking note of answers?

I heard the interjections from across the chamber while the minister was giving his answers to the question on David Hicks. There was a wringing of the hands and interjections about how appalling this is. And at the first opportunity to debate it—your first opportunity to do what the minister did: talk about it—you slipped away. You think that this David Hicks matter is so incredibly serious that you took up half of question time with it, but you were not prepared to come in here and discuss it today.

I am still totally gobsmacked by Senator Lundy’s extraordinary climate change contribution. We got that for the leading item in the taking note of answers. Let us look at the issue of Bald Hills. If the Australian Labor Party is proud of the fact that they are making political mileage out of the protection of an endangered bird, then congratulations; if that is what turns them on, then congratulations. I find it quite extraordinary that you can be so duplicitous as to come in here and attack the minister for the environment—who is about 85 times more effective than you lot have been over the last 25 years. Why aren’t you attacking Rob Hulls in Victoria, who refused a permit for wind energy installation in Ballan—which is in my old seat of Ballarat—because of unacceptable risk to the wedge-tailed eagle? The wedge-tailed eagle is not on the threatened species list—albeit that there is no more magnificent animal than a wedge-tailed eagle. You have not had a go at Rob Hulls for the decision in relation to Ballan, but you have come in here day after day talking about the move by the minister for the environment in relation to the orange-bellied parrot. That was a disgraceful performance today. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every time that you talk about David Hicks in public, I am going to remind you of what you did not do today. I am afraid that crocodile tears are no substitute for quality debate. You had the chance and you failed. (Time expired)