John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think this is just a great topic to discuss. Let's talk about stability. Now, Senator McAllister is a fine young lady and I'm sure her memory is very good, but I need to refresh her memory. In 2007 we had a Prime Minister called Kevin Rudd, as Senator McAllister might remember. Do you remember Prime Minister Rudd, Senator McAllister? Sorry, I'll direct my remarks through the chair. He was done over ruthlessly by a lady called Julia Gillard. Remember former Senator Mark Arbib? He was involved in a stoush. Senator Farrell? He was involved in a stoush as they went through the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd fiasco days of trying to save the furniture et cetera. And here, those opposite lecture us on stability. I find it quite amazing.

We know there are a lot of ambitions in this place—people with big egos, people who want to be on the front bench. I've said before that Senator Keneally is not used to sitting up the back of the bus. She was the Premier of New South Wales and she wants to be at the front of the bus. In fact, she wants to drive the bus—no doubt about that. And now we've got Senator Watt starting to flex his muscles because he's been promoted from the back bench to the whip after a very successful political career in state politics where he lost his seat, a safe seat! What a great legacy that is!

Stability? Let's talk about stability. How stable was the Labor Party just this week when we discussed the TPP legislation? Was that stability? No, they were divided. They were forced to support it by the hierarchy, no doubt, and many opposed it. But, of course, in the typical dictatorship of the Labor Party, you do as you are told. You're not free to cross the floor like we in the National Party and the Liberal Party are, where we actually have democracy. When there's something that we're passionate about, we can express that passion on this floor, as I did with the banking royal commission. At the time when the Greens moved a motion calling for a banking royal commission, I crossed the floor and voted with the Greens. Where was Labor? You were over there opposing the royal commission, just like when we brought down a report from the Economics Committee recommending a royal commission under that very good former Labor senator from Western Australia, Mark Bishop. Where was Labor? It was opposing the royal commission. Finally you came round. I appreciate that very much and I thank you, and what is coming out of the royal commission is quite amazing.

But, of course, we're talking about leadership. There's a bloke called Mr Anthony Albanese. He wants to drive the bus as well, I can tell you. Even the Labor Party members who voted said, 'We want Albo driving the bus.' That is the message they sent. Mr Albanese is sitting there waiting to pounce. You can see that the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd thing will happen again, as sure as I speak here now.

Now, I want to talk about the National Party leadership. I find all this talk in the media about a challenge to the Nationals leader, Mr Michael McCormack, the Deputy Prime Minister, quite amazing. As I said to John Stanley on Sydney radio today, I have not had one call or one visit from a colleague in the National Party saying to me, 'There's going to be a spill. Who are you going to vote for?'—not one.