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

Mr President, I hope that hit the Hansard. This is the contempt with which the Labor senators are treating it. They know that they have got numbers and so they want to go off and have dinner. They are not interested in the debate, they are not concerned about Senate processes. They have got the numbers and they will wine and dine and enjoy themselves while we want to go about this serious business—and it is very serious business. We are dealing with the laws and rules that operate around the media, the fourth estate of our democracy—a very, very important part of our democratic system.

I think I can be one of those who can honestly say that from time to time the media has not treated me as kindly as I may have liked. It is interesting—Labor senators agree that that may be the case. But can I tell you, despite that, I have never sought revenge. I have never sought to gag them. But we now know 'the hate media', and it all started with Senator Bob Brown calling News Limited 'the hate media', and this is now the revenge. It is the price, undoubtedly extracted by the Greens for the government to remain in power, and of course Senator Conroy has had this bee in his bonnet for the last three or four years about News Limited and some other outlets. Senator Cameron is nodding his head in agreement. If you have a problem with the media, then that is part and parcel of the system, but to try to move this sort of legislation and gag it does the Labor party and their Green allies no credit whatsoever. We will ensure, if we are given the privilege of government, that the Senate is run properly, not submitted to guillotine after guillotine and not used to gag the media. That will be one of the core differences and issues that we as a coalition will be inviting the Australian people to consider when they cast their vote on 14 September, if not before.