Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Bernardi and Senator Abetz, Mr President. When it came to slashing the Renewable Energy Target, where were the Labor Party? They were sitting right next to the coalition—sitting right next to Senator Bernardi and Senator Abetz. When it came to the mandatory retention of private information—data retention—it was the Australian Labor Party who sat with Senator Abetz and Senator Bernardi. When it comes to dropping bombs on the nation of Syria, it is, indeed, the Australian Labor Party that sits with Senator Bernardi and Senator Abetz. When it came to having a debate about whether the Australian parliament should have some say over our engagement in a foreign conflict, it was again the Australian Labor Party who sat with Senator Abetz and Senator Bernardi, preventing the parliament from having any sort of debate across those issues. So, if you would like to have a comparison of our voting record on progressive issues, bring it on.

We have the union movement engaged currently in a campaign to support the Labor Party in its campaign against electoral reforms. It is remarkable that the trade union movement did not support the campaign run by the Greens to not sign onto the free trade agreement. Indeed, with the free trade agreement we had the Australian Labor Party sitting next to Senator Bernardi and Senator Abetz. The list is long. I could go on and on and on.

If you want to compare our voting record in this parliament on a whole range of progressive issues, Senator Wong, bring it on, because there has been no party that has stood in resolute opposition to this government's agenda more than the Australian Greens. One-third of the time, we see the Australian Labor Party join with the coalition, compared to the Greens' six per cent. Senator Wong, you want to compare our voting record with yours? Well, bring it on. We stand proudly behind the reforms that we have supported in this parliament, and we stand even more proudly behind our opposition to a government that we do not support. But on so many things—like the issue of children in detention, the issue of slashing the Renewable Energy Target, mandatory data retention and the war in Syria—you and the government have voted together.