Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is not fair, Senator Carr. When one reader asked who Senator Di Natale was following the article, another consumer responded by saying, 'He is that tactical turtle-neck guy.' Another tweet went on to suggest that, with that black skivvy, he could become the new member of The Wiggles. So in that vein, I say this to you, Senator Di Natale—and, as a father, I know this line all too well—Wake up, Jeff! Seriously, wake up. Senator Di Natale's approach is a world away from the view of former leader Bob Brown, who often talked about 'replacing the bastards'—and I am quoting Senator Brown's words there—'not joining them at the cabinet table'.

Bob Brown must be absolutely livid with what has become of his beloved Greens party. Senator Di Natale in the article later acknowledged that some people in his party would rather not do anything with the Liberal Party. He continued though, and said: 'But it is my view and the view of my party room that you have to put policy first and then the politics look after itself,' he said.

I do find this a bit rich. This deal has nothing to do with policy. It is being done purely out of self-interest and that is it. It is very interesting that Senator Di Natale has opened up the Greens to forming government with the conservatives. Greens senators ought to think very carefully about what their leader is signing them up to. Senator Di Natale is basically saying that Senator Simms may one day be on a joint ticket with Senator Bernardi on the Safe Schools program and marriage equality. Senator Di Natale is also saying that Senator Hanson-Young may one day be on a joint ticket with Senator Cash on asylum seekers and women's policies. Senator Di Natale has also signed Senator Ludlam up to a joint ticket—are you ready for this?—with Senator Brandis on terrorism laws and data retention. Senator Waters must have been delighted to hear that she may one day share Senator Seselja, Senator McGrath and Mr George Christensen's environmental policy. The mind boggles as to how the Stalinist senator from New South Wales, Senator Rhiannon, could even share a policy platform with Senator Abetz. But this is the direction the Greens are heading in.

I say to the Greens senators: if you do not like the direction that Senator Di Natale is taking you in then do something about it. Take 20 steps out of this place and publicly tell the Australian people that you will never support a Liberal-Greens coalition government. I dare you to! This new love affair, however, is not all rosy and peachy, as some might have you believe. While Mr Michael Kroger might have walked off the reservation a bit, conservatives from the Liberal right, including Senator Abetz and Senator Bernardi, are not as welcoming of the Greens as their party officials are.

Mr Jeff Kennett, in an article written by Joe Kelly and Rick Wallace in The Australian, said that a preference deal with the Greens was a 'major departure from what's happened in the past'. Senator Abetz has publicly and very clearly shown his disgust in the Greens/Liberal-National coalition. Most recently he said that he was alarmed that Liberal preferences had helped elect Senator Rhiannon in 2010, which sadly forced out my mate former Labor Senator Steve Hutchins. I would be alarmed at that too. I suppose in one way it is like a happy ending: the Liberals helped Senator Rhiannon get elected and now their parties are going to become aligned. I think Senator Abetz will regret that move.

Senator Bernardi went further and labelled the Greens a 'dangerous bunch of extremists' and warned they would never assist in the formation of a coalition government, a view which is quite contrary to that of Senator Di Natale, who said, 'He is confident that one day that mob over there will be a party of government. Please!

At the end of the day, the Greens have done a quick and dirty deal with the government to change the Senate preference system without allowing time for proper and fair scrutiny of this reform. This will ultimately lead to the coalition having greater control over the Senate and the purge of the minor parties, neither of which will be good for our democracy nor our country. We are opposing this grubby deal between the government and the Greens because it will purge the Senate of small parties and Independents, prevent new parties from ever getting elected, exhaust the votes of no less than 3.3 million Australians and risk turning the Senate into a rubber stamp for coalition governments.

Just for the Greens benefit, I want to enlighten them on entering into this slimy deal. If it is the case that the coalition are the winners out of this and the coalition get to that magic number of 39 senators in this place, or that Senator Xenophon may have a brain snap and want to back-in the government on some terrible IR issues, working people will remember you as the ones that contributed to the loss of more jobs in this nation. Whether we like it or not, it is no secret that the government want to get rid of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal. Congratulations if your deal delivers that, because you will have given another win to the government!

Let's not forget a very important factor. To the Greens senators and the Greens supporters out there in radio land listening to this: if you deliver that number of senators to the coalition, where they do not need to deal with anyone on this side of the chamber, you will be responsible, should Minister Cash follow her desire to emulate her political idol in, one, Maggie Thatcher, for delivering the death knell to hundreds of thousands of young Australians who rely and depend on penalty rates in the hospitality and retail sectors.

We know what Minister Cash and the government have done. They have flicked over the recommendations of the Productivity Commission. We are not stupid; we know what the Productivity Commission is going to come back to. Of course, it would be foolish to think that they are not going to recommend that penalty rates be adjusted, removed, changed, downgraded—whatever. If that does happen to the thousands of young Australians and other Australians who rely on the penalty rate system in the retail and hospitality industry to make ends meet, you will not have to worry about me standing here—the little, fat truckie from WA with the big nose having a crack at you; the rest of Australia will remind you at every opportunity what your slimy deal with the government can deliver in this chamber to hundreds of thousands of Australians who relied on us on this side who have actually had dirt under our fingernails and do not pretend to be the champions of the working class because we would never in a pink fit do a deal that would screw them over.