Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On the second day of the new Senate in our country—a second day that gives effect to the decision that Australians made in September last year—what we have from the Labor opposition is an illusion. They would like you to think that they are concerned for veterans. They would like you to think that they are concerned for superannuants. They would like you to think that they are concerned for illegal boat arrivals. But nothing could be further from the truth. When we look at the facts, they speak very clearly. In September last year, Australians made a clear decision. That decision is reflected on this second day in this new Senate. That decision was to abandon the carbon tax. That decision was to abandon the minerals resource rent tax. That decision was to build roads for the future. That decision was to stop the boats and to protect human life by encouraging people not to take the risky course to our nation by sea illegally. Yesterday you would have heard the Labor opposition talk about other illusions, including the Medicare co-payment illusion. What they do not tell you about is that, in 1991, it was a Labor idea.