Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development (Senate)) Share this | Hansard source

Sure. Yes, okay; no worries. I thought you were saying, 'Hear, hear!' What a shambles this government is. Tell me the last time we had a statesperson in control of this nation. We have seen three PMs taken out—their throats slashed out the front—for what reason? Because they're full of hatred. There is absolute bile flowing through that side of the chamber as they fight themselves. If you don't believe me, go back to who were the frontbenchers each time there was a Prime Minister rolled then look at who the frontbenchers are—the ones who can't wait to get in line and say, 'I'll give you my vote. Slice this one's political throat and then I'll get a promotion.' What we see over there—seriously—is they don't give a flying toss about those things that matter to us as Australians. You're no different from us over here. We're worried. We have mortgages, kids. We've got grandkids and that's what's in the front of our minds—we want the best for the next generation to come. We're not worried about who sits on those frontbenches while they're slicing each other up—absolutely disgraceful.

Every Western Australian I talk to wants to talk about the opportunity for employment for their kids. They want to talk about the opportunity for their kids to get a great education. They want to talk about world-class medical. They want to talk about being safe in their home. They want to talk about all the things we all want to talk about. What do we see from our government? The internal fights, the anti-women. When they get taken out and belted up, it's amazing they all come out with the same line: 'I now want to move on,' and 'I want to spend more time with my family,' and we're supposed to believe that—seriously. I tell you what, there were friendships over here that will never be joined again. Do you know why? Because they hate each other that much. My colleagues will tell you, they can't wait to share their anger with us.

There are some decent people on the other side of the chamber. Some people go into parliament who actually do want to make a change. They want to leave it better for the next generation, they put their life on hold, they nominate and they get preselected. They go out and raise money, they get volunteers and then they work day and night to represent their electorate, their state. I tell you where all this trouble starts. The trouble starts normally from those on the other side who have had their nose put out of joint because they didn't get promoted or those senators who are No. 1 on the ticket normally, because they've got six years and don't have to face the people, or the ones who are in a safe seat. Their lives are on hold trying to represent their people, trying to do the best for the people in their electorate while this lot have the internal slicing up. It is absolutely disgraceful. And you wonder why people have no respect for us? You wonder why people hold us so low? In the employment chain, I don't think there are many people below us. I don't think that I'm wrong. And it actually hurts, when a lot of us come from decent jobs. But we didn't come here because we had an epiphany in the play yard one day that we want to become a senator; we come here because we want to make a difference for the next generation. Thanks for nothing.