Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, at the very heart of this motion is the expression of confidence in your handling of the recent privileges issue, which has been so derogatorily referred to by Senator Bob Brown, referring to 'Your very poor presidential management' and saying that there would be more of it. Previously he referred to 'this inadequate President'. If the Senate is going to have any respect for the position of President and the current occupant of it, this motion is in fact a job lot. If you do express confidence, how on earth can you then not express dismay? And it was not even a motion of condemnation or censure; it was simply an issue of dismay. These two matters are inextricably interlinked.