Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Whatever the circumstances, I have here a printed speakers list. This is what we go by, and it is in black and white. People can try and justify their absence from the speakers list, but the whole government crew are not on the speakers list. Unless they—the likes of Senator Cameron, Senator Carr and Senator Conroy—throw themselves on it on Monday to speak, unless they finally break the shackles of the Prime Minister’s gag and get up in here on Monday, it is fair enough for me to say and take it that no-one from the government is going to speak on this matter. I stand my ground on that. It is pretty basic. I do not know—or care—where they are in the parliament; I would like them at some point to stand up here in the parliament and speak on this bill. It is highly significant. It is critical. I bet you this: the next election will turn on this issue.

As our leader, Mr Turnbull, said, we may cop a bit of short-term unpopularity on this because we are saying that the cash handouts are ineffective and ought not be given, but I would say, as he said, that we are about doing the right thing. We have the record, we have the runs on the board, in regard to prudent economic management—successful economic management. Even when we were in government we took the hard decisions, the short-term unpopular decisions, in the national interest, because we thought they were right, and most of the time we were right. Most of the time Australian households were better off for it in the long run and for generations to come—until Labor were elected.