Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I want to respond to that rather sanctimonious comment by Senator Ludlam. Yesterday, as the first speaker after Senator Ludlam moved his amendments, I asked him some questions. He walked out of the chamber. He was not here for the entirety of my speech. Here I was asking him questions and they were falling on deaf ears. So Senator Ludlam should not be so sanctimonious. We did ask him questions, but he chose to leave the chamber—and he is leaving again now. If I want to ask him questions now, how can he possibly answer them because he is walking out of the chamber when I am about to ask questions? I know Senator Johnston has questions as well. But why bother asking Senator Ludlam when he leaves the chamber whenever we asked him a question? What sanctimonious claptrap!