Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Make no mistake about what this delay will mean: by delaying these reforms, the Liberals are prolonging the hardship suffered by a group of our fellow Australians. Children and other dependants of superannuation schemes and members who die before the reforms are passed will miss out on these benefits.

Let us look at what the coalition, the Liberals, are saying. What these issues show is that the actions of the Liberals are not about the policy at all. The referral is just a cover; the Liberals are in fact split on the issue. You would think, surely, that these practical reforms to remove discrimination—they are simple, practical reforms to remove discrimination—would enjoy the support of the opposition. We have seen Dr Nelson flip, flop, stonewall and delay these important reforms. We should ask Dr Nelson—but he is not in this chamber—what he told Glenn Milne after taking the Liberal leadership. It is insightful. As we read in the Australian on Monday, Dr Nelson confided that he believed in these reforms. He said that the reforms were well overdue. Well, they are well overdue. They should start from 1 July. He was right. In fact, 12 years of neglect and inaction under a Liberal government have made these overdue. These reforms do need to start from 1 July. It is an embarrassment for the opposition to find themselves split on this issue; they cannot fix a simple superannuation issue. So why has the opposition leader apparently changed his mind? Well, of course, Dr Nelson has not changed his mind. I know there are senators opposite who do agree with the government and who actually support these reforms and want the reforms to operate from 1 July. (Time expired)