Barry O'Sullivan (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Brazilian shape-shifting dolphin men, and then—you'll recognise this one—there are the gnomes. They are, I'm told, not related to the Russian firebirds or the West African evil tree spirits. We're all familiar with goblins. I've seen the odd goblin myself, as I've left, later than I should, from some of my local pubs! We've got hobgoblins. Now, they're not related to goblins, apparently; they're a whole other species. We've got gremlins and harpies, otherwise known as the Greek wind spirits, and we've got nixies.

This is all off a credible site, according to them. This is what's in their minds—these fairies and hobgoblins and goblins and gremlins and tree nymphs and wood nymphs. There are also skinwalkers, vampires, gryphons. Then there are the dodore, Solomon Islands' little people. They've got one eye, one leg and long red hair. They're automatically qualified for membership of the Greens! There are Tibetan disease demons, and we've got pixies and trolls.

We can have some fun here, but my all-time favourite question is: how does it impact? In Iceland—Senator Rhiannon, you'd be aware of this, because it's close to where you spent a bit of time being educated—there is a road there that they've been trying to build since 1930, but they haven't been able to because it's referred to as 'the world of the hidden people'. There are no photographs. They're a bit like the one we've got running up at Nambour—a yeti or something. But this was a serious discussion in public discourse that affected the development of sites.

I had my ear up to the glass one day when the Greens were developing policy on what they'd do with something in this place. On the whiteboard, they had this big word: 'no'. They hit the printer button and they printed off 100 pieces of paper with the word 'no' on it. That's their policy on everything: no jobs; don't support rural industries and remote communities like ours; don't support industries like the cattle industry.

I'll be honest; I do find the good senator the most honest of the Greens. I think she's a true warrior and a true believer, but she has got too many elves running around in her head when she starts to make recommendations. They are anti sugar; they are anti cropping; they are anti development; they are anti progress; they are anti breathing; they are anti animal flatulence. This would be laughable, hilarious, if it were not so serious.

So, what's happened in Iceland as a result? Companies planning large-scale projects try to pre-empt problems with the supernatural world. I'm serious; you can go and check it out. One company planning a significant dam project in the east of Iceland consulted with clairvoyants. Clairvoyants' skills were engaged by the company to do a report for its planning application. Honestly, I don't know whether to laugh or to break down and cry as I deal with what these people want—this lone voice, who I debated on ABC Rural, who would tell all the Australians who were listening that the kangaroo population was under risk of being wiped out completely, a population that the good senator knows full well is ten times larger than it would be if natural circumstances applied.

I invited her, as I've often done the Greens, but they've never taken it up, on air—thousands of Australians heard it—'Senator, I've got a few bob. Let's do something. The next time you get a new car, I'll pay to ship it up here to Longreach, and we'll sip a bit of coffee until it just gets on dark and we'll go for a drive to Ilfracombe.' But the good senator has never contacted me, and I can only assume she has not bought a new vehicle recently. I said, 'Make sure you don't insure it, though, before you get there.'

This is crazy, crazy, crazy stuff. It's crazy and it's deceptive. Last year alone, the RSPCA and other organisations dealt with 350,000 complaints of cruelty to domestic animals. We all find it abhorrent, including you, Senator, I suspect. Listen again: 350,000 complaints about the welfare of domestic animals. Has one word ever been spoken by Senator Rhiannon or her colleagues in relation to that? Not one single word. But where do they want to go? They want to go to the live export cattle job. Again, Senator, you need to start being totally honest with the people of Australia. You don't want to change the way that we export live animals out of this country; you want it to stop, full stop. You've got no plan for the tens of thousands of people employed in the industry—