Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I congratulate Senator Birmingham on his appointment as Leader of the Government in the Senate and also Senator Cash as deputy. It is a very great honour and a very weighty responsibility to lead a party in this chamber, and I welcome him to this table and look forward to working with him and against him.

I'll make a brief comment. There is a fine tradition of leaders in the government in this place from my home state of South Australia. We've had Senator Nick Minchin and, of course, Senator Birmingham's mentor, Senator Robert Hill. I of course trust that, like Senator Hill, Senator Birmingham will be a voice of moderation from his new position. I am advised that this is the first time since the first decade of Federation that the leaders of government and opposition have both been South Australians, so we have a unity ticket on this being a great day. I look forward to working, as I said, with and against Senator Birmingham in his role, and I congratulate him on his appointment.