Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, isn't it interesting that, when you talk about making laws that are constitutional, what we hear from the other side is laughter? That is the problem that existed under Mr Dutton. The entire time they were in government, they laughed at the notion that laws needed to be constitutional. They were full of tough talk but never tough laws that would actually stand up to scrutiny. Unlike those opposite, our primary focus is the real safety of Australians. We listen to our law enforcement agencies and to legal advice. We don't laugh at it, like all of those opposite. We follow through with actions; we don't just talk tough. That's what you're seeing today: we're flagging important legislation to strengthen our national security. We're a government that is providing $255 million in additional support to our agencies—a government doing its job to keep Australians safe. One of the lessons that those opposite refused to learn in government was that unconstitutional laws don't make anyone safer. Tough talk doesn't make Australians safer. Strong laws do, and that's what we're delivering, rather than just tough talk.