Senate debates

Thursday, 5 March 2015

Bills

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment Bill 2014; Second Reading

11:29 am

Photo of Cory BernardiCory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In legal parlance, it would not be a vexatious litigant; it would be a vexatious point of order giver. I think we should consider whether people only have a certain number of points of order to give in this chamber before they are ruled disorderly.

If we go back to the point, South Australia has some critical industries and, quite frankly, the defence industry is one critical industry. I am very pleased that senators on this side have fought internally with the government to ensure that South Australia gets a better than fair deal. I must say, the Prime Minister has been very supportive in that respect. But there are also other industries that are very important such as the southern bluefin tuna fishing industry, the prawn industry, the agricultural industry. They are all very important from South Australia. We can ill afford to let any of them go by the wayside.

But is it just coincidence—I am asking myself this question and I would ask the Australian people to consider it as well—that some of these very successful industries are the ones that are most targeted by the extreme and radical green movement? They do not really like agriculture. They claim that cows, for example, are destroying the climate or that sheep are destroying the environment. The bluefin tuna industry, of course, is suddenly some sort of terrible blight upon the world. But what they do not accept is that they are users of all the goods that are produced through this primary production. They do not seem to like mining or the defence industry. I just wonder what they do like. In actual fact, we know they like each other.

Comments

No comments