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

I will take the interjection from the other side. How you can possibly seek to justify your behaviour today is beyond me. Have you actually read the amendment which would take schedule 2 out of this bill? Clearly not, otherwise you would not have interfered with such an ignorant comment. You have absolutely buckled to Slater and Gordon. You were prepared to take schedule 2 out of this legislation and for that you stand utterly condemned. The veteran community will be listening to this, they will see the transcripts and they will know what you have done today. They will know what Senator Lambie has said and done today. If you do not believe me, speak to the people who represent the veterans in this nation and speak to the ex-service community. You do not seriously think we would be going down this single-appeal pathway without the complete and utter and passionate support of the ex-service organisations, do you? I can assure you, parliamentary secretary, that we would not have done so.