Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am going to contribute to the adjournment debate tonight by firstly starting with a quote from what Senator Marshall said a short while ago. He said, ‘All stunts and no substance.’ I think that is how you would describe your cabinet at the moment, Senator Marshall, through you, Madam Acting Deputy President. The cabinet appears to be all stunts and no substance and the mantra coming out of the Rudd Labor government is: ‘We’ve made a hell of a lot of stuff-ups so let’s blame the Senate.’ This seems to be the theme that is coming through. The most recent example was from Minister Roxon, who recently issued a media release saying that the problem with trying to get her legislation through the Senate has been the opposition. Yet she would not accept responsibility for the fact that it was introduced in September last year and on occasion after occasion after occasion the legislation was never listed in a priority position in the Senate, so it was never debated. In fact, there were some occasions when the legislation did not even make the list. It was not even thought to be a high enough priority. I think one day someone in Minister Roxon’s office must have said, ‘Minister, what about this legislation we are trying to get through the Senate?’ and she must have said: ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve forgotten about that. Let’s try it again.’

Of course they try to bring it on but it does not happen because the government control the order of legislation in this place and they have never given it enough priority. They have got competing interests with all ministers who do not understand what they are doing in relation to getting legislation through this place. So what does she do to cover her own tracks? She blames the Senate, in particular the opposition in the Senate. This seems to be the issue with the Labor government today. They are all talk and absolutely no action. I do not have time to list the litany of events that have happened in relation to promises that have been broken. In fact, take some promises that my colleague Senator Cormann has highlighted—and he is here with me this afternoon—particularly in relation to private health insurance. He actually had to rescue the government by not allowing their broken promise on this to go through. So we had to stop them, to help save them from themselves. This is an issue we are finding more and more with the Labor government. I think it is all catching up with them, because you cannot run the country on spin, you cannot run the country on broken promises and you certainly cannot run the country in a chaotic manner, not even understanding where your legislation ends up when it leaves the House of Representatives, as is the case with Minister Roxon. It has been some seven-odd months and Minister Roxon has finally realised her legislation has not gone through the Senate. She has panicked and is blaming the opposition in the Senate.

We know, and the public need to understand, that we cannot do anything on our own. Put simply, we can oppose, we can suggest, we can do anything we like but the Senate needs the opposition plus two other senators to effect anything or one other senator to negate something. We cannot do it on our own. We need the public of Australia to understand that the Senate is acting in a true democratic fashion, as it should.

I have read countless letters to the editor in recent weeks after Prime Minister Rudd wheeled out five ministers. He wheeled them out and said, ‘Quick go and blame the Senate for everything because things are not going too well for us.’ He wheeled them out, one after the other. They all stood together and all spoke about how bad things were in the Senate. Someone must have forgotten to tell the Prime Minister that you really need to negotiate things through the Senate. The Senate has been a strong house of review for many decades—

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One bill had not been even introduced yet.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is right, Senator Cormann. I accept that interjection. He said, ‘One bill had not even been introduced,’ yet they were complaining about it.’ This is the lack of depth in the ministry. They really are incompetent. That is a worry for Australia, if for no other reason. He wheeled them out to say that the Senate is holding things up.

The Prime Minister has not bothered to negotiate, to talk to or to even have the decency to invite the crossbenchers, let alone us, to have a discussion. He just does not do that. He does not want to negotiate, he does not want to speak; he just expects things to happen and that is why he has got the result he has got. He will not work with the Senate.

Former Prime Minister Howard had a period of a couple of years where the numbers in the Senate were favourable to the government of the day, which we were at the time. However, for the remaining eight or so years negotiation was the key to getting legislation through the Senate and putting forward the merits of the legislation the government wanted. That is the way you negotiate through this chamber. Then the Senate has the benefit of listening to the arguments put forward by the government privately and through the chamber and then it deliberates on those particular arguments.

But, no, not with Prime Minister Rudd: he is used to his bureaucratic style of—bang!—‘Put in the Senate, let the Senate sort it out, I am not going to negotiate and I am not going to lower myself to talk to the Senate in relation to these matters; let them work it out.’ And then he wonders why he does not get his legislation through. He does not even have the courtesy to talk to the crossbenchers in this place because he does not have to worry about that in the House of Representatives. He does not understand that the Senate is a totally different area. The dynamics of the Senate are totally different and always have been. If he actually started to negotiate, listen, be constructive and be consultative, he might get somewhere. But, no, his style is: wheel out five ministers and blame everything on the Senate. It is not good enough, Mr Rudd. You have got to start to work with the Senate.