Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Who would have ever thought that Senator Heffernan would be in here defending the Greens? Who would have ever thought? This is the new approach from this so-called new government: a coalition with the Greens to rip off families in this country. What must the families of this country be thinking, if they are listening to this debate, when the so-called Left progressives of the Greens party are out there siding with their friends in big business and saying that they are on the side of the angels?

Most people here know: I am not religious. I do not know much about angels but I think there is such a thing as a dark angel—I even think Lucifer was an angel. Well, you are on the side of Lucifer on this one. You are definitely on the side of the forces of evil when you are siding with the National Party and the Liberal Party to make sure that big business do not pay their fair share of tax in this country.

To have Senator Heffernan stand up and defend you—Senator Heffernan, who despises every value that the Greens claim they stand for—side by side as an ally, is an absolute joke. What will the families of Australia be thinking when the Greens are saying that they are on the side of the angels and they have consulted widely? I bet they have consulted widely. Consulted with the banks—did you consult with the banks? Did you consult with the finance sector? Did you consult with the billionaires who will be doing okay out of this? Did you talk to the families that this mob want to stick a GST on? So you give up on big business paying their fair share of tax and you have been siding with this mob and a GST. To say you are on the side of the angels—what is wrong with you? Where do your values disappear to when you are desperate for relevance? It is just an absolute joke.

You said that this was a Christmas present. You have provided the biggest Christmas present to the multibillionaires and the big end of town that they have ever had. Senator Whish-Wilson's contribution was so strident, so defensive and so unbelievable: that someone who claims to be a progressive can stand up and try and defend handing over more money, more power, more privilege to the big end of town—that is what you have just done. You have just sided with the coalition to make sure that the top one per cent continues to get more and more and that inequality will continue to reign in this country. Your position was to support inequality because, unless the big end of town pays its fair share of tax, inequality continues

Unless the big end of town pays its fair share of tax and unless the multinationals pay their fair share of tax then there will be continued pressure from the extremists on the other side to push a GST. I suppose you might want to be on the side of the angels and vote for a GST. I suppose you might want to be on the side of the angels and screw working families even more than they may get screwed under this lot now. What is next? Is it the GST from the Greens? Is it industrial relations capitulation from the Greens? You have capitulated on what should be inviolable principle from a progressive party—that is, to make sure that the big end of town, the multinationals, pay their fair share. I do not think 'lickspittle' goes far enough in describing what you have just done. I do not know how to describe it, but lickspittle, to me, just seems too small a smear against the Greens, who have just given up. They are absolute capitulation merchants of the highest order. (Time expired)