Bob Day (SA, Family First Party) Share this | Hansard source

I draw the Senate's attention today to the deal between the Liberals, Greens and Nick Xenophon on Senate voting legislation. The Liberals support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the nuclear fuel cycle, bringing back the ABCC and reviewing gay promotion programs in schools. They repealed the carbon tax, sought to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and agreed to create a wind farm commissioner. They also changed border protection laws and stopped the boats. The Greens voted against every one of these. The crossbench supported them. The latest data on divisions in this parliament show that the Greens vote with the government just six per cent of the time. Every other crossbencher has a superior record of supporting legislation. What policy compromises will the Liberals and the Greens make once the Greens are locked into the balance of power? Not only was this voting deal the mother of all backroom deals but, given the Greens senators he will lose in a double dissolution election, was it also the mother of all captain's calls by Senator Di Natale? How can the Nationals, of all people, be party to locking the Greens into the balance of power, given how the Greens oppose trade deals, live exports and mining? None of this makes sense and will inevitably end in tears.