Michael Ronaldson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, we know. Don't fess up again, it will do you no good. How many have been political staffers but not union officials? Six have been both and five have never been.

I want to talk about some comments from Mr Paul Howes in relation to what is required. I am looking forward to Senator Thistlethwaite and Senator Ludwig, who are both AWU union officials, joining on this side in solidarity for Mr Howes because of course they cannot do anything else other than that. I know that you have all marched up and down streets and chanted 'Workers united will never be divided'.

Government senators: Defeated!

Defeated? Okay. I have a new slogan for you: 'A party divided will never be united'. I tell you what, you are an absolute joke. I want you to march up and down the streets and chant that new slogan: 'A party divided will never be united'. What an absolute joke!

We now know why this has been introduced. While we are talking about division, I watched with interest today Mr Graham Perrett from the other side. He was asked about the quite remarkable comments of Joel Fitzgibbon, the Chief Government Whip in the other place. Mr Perrett said:

Obviously the Whip, there can be no gap between the Whip and the Prime Minister. The Whip has the Prime Minister's back. You know, Joel is an honourable man. He's a good friend of mine, a great defence minister in his time.

I think there might be some different views about that, but anyway—

Today, today we need him to have the Prime Minister's back. If he can't do that, if he can't be loyal to the boss, well, he should resign. Okay?

REPORTER: Has he been disloyal?

GRAHAM PERRETT: Well, if he can't be 100 per cent loyal to the Prime Minister, he can't draw a wage as the Whip obviously. He needs to get on with the job of looking after the Prime Minister's back. That's what he's paid for and if he's not doing that after five o'clock today, well then obviously he needs to look at his situation.