Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Cormann. I will take that interjection. You would like to speak to it too. You see, it is very important. Other colleagues before me have been very diligent and thorough in placing their views on the record about this piece of legislation. This government's track record for shambolic policy development has to be highlighted. Not only do they have no ability to deliver proper diligent policy but once they actually bring a piece of legislation in here to the chamber, they guillotine it. I can remember in this place—when we were fortunate enough to sit on the other side of this chamber—when we were howled down about the guillotine. We were absolutely held to account as if it were a travesty of democracy when we did that. Let me share with you that, in the time we did have the majority here in the Senate, 32 bills were gagged.

Senator Feeney interjecting—

Do you know, Senator Feeney, how many your side have gagged since you have been in? Over 200 pieces of legislation have been guillotined. The hypocrisy from this Labor-Greens-Independent government knows no bounds. It is extraordinary. It says one thing—it does not matter if it relates to the truth or not; it makes absolutely no difference to this government whatsoever, absolutely no difference at all—and does another. With this piece of legislation, after bringing in more than 21,000 new regulations, the government is going to bring in another agency, another bureaucracy. It is not at all surprising.

Senator Feeney interjecting—

That is a very important point to make again. Thank you, Senator Feeney. I made that point and it is very important to make it again, because it shows the shambolic nature of this government. The Australian people deserve much better.