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

The government opposes this second attempt to breach the fundamental conventions that surround the Westminster system. The last time we debated this, which was just a few days ago, I pointed out what Odgers had to tell us on page 77 about the comity between parliaments and how singularly unwise it is for one parliament or one house of a parliament to seek to inquire into another.

I thought we had that debate and common-sense prevailed. Clearly, common-sense has not prevailed and we now are confronted with this, quite frankly, personal vendetta by the leader of the Palmer United Party to pursue Mr Newman, the Premier of Queensland. We heard from Senator Lazarus just then that there were concerns about judicial appointments in Queensland. Guess what? If you are concerned about it, run for the Queensland parliament. Use the Queensland parliament and its forums, because if you think that you can use the federal parliament's forums to overcome what you consider to be shortcomings in the Queensland parliament, guess what? The Queensland parliament can then start adopting exactly the same tactics against Palmer United, Senator Lazarus or anyone else.

Is this the way we want to trash our democracy? Democracy is a fragile flower. It does require convention, it does require precedent and it does require people to remain within their bailiwick. We could have a situation where technically you could have the Queensland parliament having resolutions about the Senate and then, when any senator arrives in Queensland, they could be picked up by the Queensland authorities and be brought before the bar of the Queensland parliament to answer questions. That is what can happen and that is the route we are going down.

Way back in 1996, this was attempted in relation to the Victorian parliament in relation to a casino licence. Common-sense finally prevailed and that inquiry, quite rightly, did not go ahead. I would have thought the lessons of history should be learnt. As I said last week, I can understand that the Palmer United Party is relatively new to this place and is not fully across all of the precedent and all of the practice. But I say to those colleagues opposite, especially from the Australian Labor Party, that you know the precedent and you know the embarrassment that you got yourselves into in 1996 with the Victorian casino inquiry. That went nowhere. Why? For exactly the reasons that will confront this inquiry.

Chances are, lawyers will make some money out of it and the High Court may well be entertained as well. I might add that Mr Newman, the Premier of Queensland, is doing an excellent job. If Newspoll is any guide, the people of Queensland are now saying that he in fact is doing a good job. As he has taken the tough decisions, the people of Queensland are now accepting what has occurred under that government as having been within their best interests.

When we start using one parliament to fight another parliament, we get into a territory that is singularly foolish and singularly designed to bring these institutions of parliament into disrepute. I do not lay that charge on Palmer United, because I am still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt; albeit that benefit is shrinking by the moment, given all that was said about this just last week. But those opposite in the Australian Labor Party know the folly of this move and they know that this should not be entertained.

Interestingly, when this motion failed last week there was a collective sigh of relief around this place, knowing that the right thing had been done by this parliament and its institutions. Now, one assumes that some dirty deals have been done behind the scenes, which allow this matter to be re-ventilated. It will be interesting to see if it is the Australian Greens or the Australian Labor Party who have done a backflip in relation to this. Whichever party it is, they have done a great disservice to this place. (Time expired)