Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

How pathetic and how disgraceful—a point of order by Senator Watt. It shows, yet again, that there is no gutter low enough for Senator Watt to traverse when it comes to besmirching individuals who cannot come into this place. But what I would say on the person to whom he refers—and he knows full well the secretary of the department categorically denied the allegation that Senator Watt has re-peddled—is why would he seek to put on the record yet again that which he knows to be demonstrably untrue? What's more, the figures that were allegedly doctored came in under that which was the actual figure. So if he did doctor the figures—categorically denied and rejected—when those figures actually came in, they were even better than the projection. And so the Labor Party story on this has completely collapsed. It looks more foolish, Senator Watt, than the Aldi bag containing money that the Australian Labor Party of course has been so anxious not to talk about and sought to hide.

The Labor Party, with a complete failure when it comes to public policy, comes in here, day after day, to besmirch and trawl the gutter for issues that bear no relevance to the lives of Australians. They are concerned about border protection, and Labor, yet again, joined with the Greens to vote against the repeal of medevac. Today they voted again with the Greens to condemn forest workers in Victoria to a life of unemployment. This is the Labor Party that seeks to trawl these matters rather than deal with the issues of employment and sustainability for Australians.