Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We on this side of the chamber know a stunt when we see one and Senator Fifield’s motion is one of the biggest exercises in political trickery and sophistry that I have ever seen. It is just one more of a series of delaying tactics by the opposition. Senator Joyce this morning said that the government will not stand the test of transparency. Well, Senator Joyce, your motives are pretty transparent. If you look at the actions of the coalition in relation to the NBN, there is one question underlying every tactic they engage in, and that question is: ‘What can we do to delay this project? I know: let’s call for a cost-benefit analysis. Let’s introduce a private member’s bill. Let’s set up a joint select committee.’