Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader for Science) Share this | Hansard source

It has never worked before. We could have it in November, but there is a Victorian election then. So we get pushed back a little further. We know we cannot hold an election for the Senate until 4 August. And we cannot let the football finals get in the way of any serious discussion with the Australian people. So sometime between August 4 and maybe the second week of the finals we will have another election. On the very best calculation, this government has less than two years to run. This government is so badly divided it may be possible for it to find a way to resolve this contradiction by having a House election only. Just think of the chaos that would bring with it—the idea of Senate elections being held on their own! I do not see that as a likelihood. So it is likely that around Spring 2018 we will be off to an election again.

The Australian people will get a chance to assess the performance of the government in that time. We will see a Prime Minister who promised much deliver very little. With a government so badly divided, so directionless, so lacking in authority and legitimacy, we are likely to see the return of a Labor government. The Labor Party will be called upon to deal with problems that you will be unable to deal with, that you are incapable of dealing with, because of the divisions within your own ranks, your lack of commitment to principle and your failure to understand the needs of the Australian people. While we are committed to serving the Australian people, you are committed to trying to work out the conflicts within your own house—and a house divided will inevitably fall.