Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I enjoy the interjections and the abuse from the Greens political party, because it again demonstrates, time and time again, the absolute and abject hypocrisy of the Greens political party. Whether or not they agree with Senator O'Sullivan's motion seems to me to be a relatively minor part of the issue. The issue is the freedom of speech. The Greens exercise that opportunity here every day in this section of the parliament. They always bring up motions that most of the rest of us have got better things to do with our time than to deal with. The Greens will further delay the Senate knowing that they don't have the numbers, but they will continue to call divisions when they know they have clearly lost the motion they have put forward. Why do they do that? You can ask them, but I guess it's again for crass political reasons, for their own small band of followers they have—a band of followers, I might say, that is getting smaller. But the way the Greens will always deny others the opportunity to speak doesn't apply to themselves. If anyone ever should deny them the opportunity to speak, there is absolute and abject outrage. The hypocrisy of the Greens political party knows no bounds. I would certainly support Senator O'Sullivan's right to put this motion as a formal motion and have the Senate determine it accordingly.