Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Now we have Senator Heffernan adding his usual earthy contribution to the debate. Let us try to stay focussed on the bills at hand. The government are masquerading that the bills are urgent when we all know that, because of a filthy deal that the government have done with the Greens, we are going to a double-D. Because of a filthy deal that they have done to sell out their values, to sell out, we are going to a double-D. Any pretence whatsoever that these are urgent bills needs to be tossed out the window. Any pretence that these are urgent bills does not stand up to scrutiny. It does not actually pass the smell test.

These bills are being brought in here to distract from the rabble that this government has become. We have a finance minister who cut the Treasurer loose today on national television. We have a Prime Minister who has taken control of the tax debate off the Treasurer—