Barnaby Joyce (Queensland, National Party, Leader of The Nationals in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Okay. We have Mr Rob Oakeshott, the member for Lyne, who reminds me of Eric Idle. He is always looking on the bright side of life no matter what is happening. Andrew Wilkie is obviously Graham Chapman and Michael Palin is Mr Adam Bandt. The problem is that it is just a fiasco. We have no idea who is running the show. It is a complete and utter fiasco. In fact, as we speak, I am looking at a quote from Senator Bob Brown. He said, 'We were very disappointed when the government reach an agreement with Andrew Wilkie.' We cannot have someone usurping his position as being the nuttiest person in the palace. That is his position. So he is very disappointed, so they are reserving their rights. Even as we speak we have got no idea where this is going to go. It is pandemonium palace. The minister has not a clue what they are going to do. This is where our nation is. This is how ludicrous it has become: 'We are reserving our position in the Senate.' So as we speak we have not an idea of what is going on here. They have usurped the role of government. This is no longer a government; it is just a rolling comical outfit. That is how the whole show is being run. Then they come out with these spurious claims.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Who is going to pay the super? I would hate to tell you this, Minister, but small business pays the super. That is who pays the super—not you, but small business—and you are lumbering them with that charge. As for the royalties, yes, we have a mining tax. It is called state royalties. But this is about your process of basically divesting the money of Western Australia and sending it to Canberra for one of your frolics. This is like divesting the wealth of Queensland and sending it down here for one of your frolics. They have a mining tax. It is called state royalties. It is part of their constitutional right, and you have decided that Western Australians do not deserve their right and they do not deserve their constitutional validity so you are taking it away from them. And if they dare take up their right you are going to take it off their GST. This is the nub of the matter: this is about you and this is about the left hand of the Greens-Labor Party-Independents alliance coming in and divesting the wealth of Western Australians and divesting the wealth of Queenslanders so that you can indulge yourselves in your mindless frolics that you go on with.

Even as we speak they are reserving their position. How insane is this government! How completely and utterly hopeless is it! Then we have Mr Windsor being asked at the door, 'Do you realise that you have just voted for an increase in tax on small business?' Mr Windsor: 'Well, I haven't spoken to Bruce.' By the way, that is Bruce Billson—because that is where you get advice from on the Labor Party's tax: from Bruce Billson! He has not spoken to Bruce Billson yet, but he voted for it. He voted for it, because that is what the Messiah does.

This is our mad world. The Australian people would know that we are not on autopilot and we are going flat out towards the ground. There is no-one running this show. There is no-one running the government. They have not got a clue. Let them stand up now and say that they have got the Greens' support. Let them come out now and say, 'It's all signed up.' They cannot tell you that because they have not got it. This is how ridiculous it is, and we have Senator Bob Brown smiling like a Cheshire cat. I do not know. It could go anywhere. All we have to do is stand out in the Senate courtyard and we will find out where the nation is going as it all madly rolls down the road with us $217 billion in gross debt. We borrowed $2 billion last week. They do not care. Someone else will repay it. Then in the same process they will come up with this moral outrage as to why they must divest Western Australians of their money, divest Queenslanders of their money and, ultimately, divest New South Welshmen of their money so that Canberra can administer it because Canberra is supposedly so much wiser than the people who actually dig the minerals out of the ground.

Senator Wong interjecting—

Don't you think that if the Western Australians thought they wanted to raise the royalties, they would? Don't you think that if the Queenslanders thought they wanted to raise the royalties, they would? Do you think they need your advice?