Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

We've got Senator Williams interjecting, and I'll take the interjection. Senator Williams, you were a lone voice in the coalition government about bad banking practices and the excesses of banks—not only bad behaviour but also illegal behaviour in banks. I don't know why you're getting all agitated now, because you've done a great job on this. Certainly, you will be remembered as one of the few coalition senators, if not the only coalition senator, who has stood up against bad behaviour by the banks. It's a credit to you. So just settle down. You don't need to get agitated. We're dealing with this issue. We're supporting what you have determined to do, and that is to make sure that banks are accountable.

I also have to say that you were one of the few on the government benches who was prepared to take the banks to task when they obviously needed to be taken to task. I'm sure, Senator Williams, through the chair, that you are not one of those who regretted the banking royal commission, because it's something that you took up for a long period of time as an absolute necessity to make sure that people in this country get treated fairly by the banks. It's just such a problem that you were an outlier among the coalition, that you were on your own, that you were a lone voice from this government against the excesses of banks. So I'm glad you intervened. I'm glad you reminded me about what a lone voice you were in the coalition in standing up against the bad behaviour of banks. You and I were on committees together in the past. We were both on the economics committee. It wasn't something that you woke up one morning and decided to run with. You were dealing with this for a long period of time before you became publicly vocal about the bad behaviour of banks. Then, when you did, you did a terrific job.

I'm not normally one to stand up here and praise an opposition senator, but in this area Senator Williams has got a good record. It's a pity he's got such a bad record in so many other areas, but in that area he's done a good job. That's why Labor, in this debate, are happy to support the position that the government's put up with the amendment to make sure that it's not up to a minister to determine who is an Indigenous person or not and that the standard proposal is dealt with. These are issues that are long overdue in addressing. These are issues that will go to the benefit of the Australian public. Labor support these bills as important bills. We certainly want to make sure that there are never race based definitions in any bills that come before the Senate, so Labor welcome the agreement of the government to remove any race based definitions in the bill.

These two bills, at least in intent, as I've said, are uncontroversial. We will support both of these bills. They are bills that are important. The concerns we have raised have been dealt with by the government. These will, in conjunction with the banking royal commission that we championed for so long, along with Senator Williams, make sure that things are better for ordinary Australians in dealing with banks in the future. The coalition should stop coming in here and just attacking unions. They should have been attacking the banks with the same venom they attack the union movement in this place. We would have had a better country, because the banks were not behaving well. The royal commission is exposing that. We support the bills. (Time expired)