Michael Forshaw (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Brandis says that Mr Howard is a private citizen. I have a great deal of respect for Senator Brandis and the fact that he is prepared to have regard to conventions and the principles of government. From time to time, he speaks very eloquently in this parliament about how there has to be consistency. I have sat in this Senate since 1994 and since 1996 in opposition—long hard years—and I have heard time and time again comments by the previous Prime Minister, Mr Howard, about how members of parliament should not go overseas and denigrate the Australian nation.

Senator Brandis said that Mr Howard is now a private citizen. Mr Howard is the immediate former Prime Minister of this country. He lost office only a few months ago. He was in the United States as a guest because of the fact that he had been Prime Minister of this country. He made speeches about his own record in government. I think it is completely wrong for a former Prime Minister of this country to go overseas within the first one or two months—and he has not done this in Australia—speak to a foreign audience and dump on the new Australian government. If he had any sense of patriotism, if he had any sense of respect for the people’s decision of last year, he would have kept his mouth shut. But, no, he sneaked off to his far right wing friends in America and, after a nice dinner and a few ports, no doubt—maybe even a cigar—he decided to trash the Australian government that had been in office for just over 100 days. How much respect does he really have for this country if that is his approach?

The fact of the matter is that Mr Howard and many in the opposition still cannot accept that they actually lost. I have enough memory of political history to know that I have never seen a situation where a former Prime Minister has gone overseas within the first month or two and trashed the new Australian government. You could at least wait a little while.