Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

Sorry, Mr Acting Deputy President. I am fascinated as to whether the Australian Greens are going to support us in relation to these issues. I suspect, from the lack of response from Senator Siewert, that they are not going to do so. I thought Senator Bartlett was absolutely right: the particularly cheap shot of Senator Ray’s in relation to remuneration for committee chairs was an appalling reflection on his Senate colleagues.

I know that my colleagues Senator Heffernan, Senator Joyce and others are passionate about this select committee, and I will confine my remarks. But I will say that we are not going to tolerate the sort of hypocrisy that we have seen today. We are not going to tolerate the childish churlishness that we have seen. When the government did not get its way it started attacking the integrity of this Senate to hold the executive to account. We will not tolerate it. If this is the start of the battle then I can assure the Australian Labor Party that it is game on.