Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Senator representing the Senator representing the Prime Minister, the Hon. George Brandis. Yesterday the Prime Minister reportedly stated during a party room meeting that the Senate crossbench is feral. I understand this to mean that every crossbench senator in this chamber in the eyes of the Prime Minister is feral. As Australian senators, we carry out our responsibilities with great pride, honour and diligence. Why would the Prime Minister of Australia call the crossbench feral and, by implication, therefore call every crossbench senator in this great chamber feral? Does the minister believe such language will be helpful to positively negotiate with the Senate in the future?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on my left!

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. I thought, on good advice, that we were unrepresentative swill, as Mr Keating suggested.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is no point of order.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Lazarus, I can assure you that the Prime Minister and every minister in the government have the greatest respect for the eight crossbench senators, including for you. We may disagree with you, as plainly we do on a number of important measures, but we respect you personally, and we respect your constitutional position and the way in which you discharge it.

But I am bound to say that the Prime Minister and the government are frustrated at the fact that so much legislation that is important to the Australian people has been blocked by this chamber. The Senate should be a chamber of review, a house of review—not a house of refusal. Yet time and time again, the Labor Party and the Greens—with which, I am sorry to say, on occasions the crossbench senators have joined—have blocked important legislation. The most recent example is the government's higher education reforms. As we all know, last night this chamber blocked those reforms and, in doing so, dealt a terrible setback to the Australian higher education sector, a terrible setback to Australian universities—

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. I am seeking your guidance, but I wonder whether the minister's comments are moving towards reflecting on a vote in this place.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is not adversely reflecting on the vote, necessarily. The minister is in order.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a package of measures that had the strong support of 40 of the 41 Australian university vice-chancellors. Forty out of 41 thought that this was a good thing for the Australian university sector. (Time expired)

Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. According to dictionary.com, the word 'feral' means 'existing in a natural state, as animals; not domesticated; or wild like a pack of feral dogs or wild animals roaming the woods'. Did the Prime Minister have any senator in mind when he referred to the Senate crossbench as 'feral'? Is the Prime Minister going to apologise to each and every one of us for such an appalling and disrespectful statement? (Time expired)

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister certainly did not say that about the crossbench. He did not say that about the crossbench. It may be that the Prime Minister had some senators in mind, Senator Lazarus, but, if he did, it was not you.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I suggest you look to your right and to your immediate left if you want a clue as to who the Prime Minister might have—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The level of noise is unacceptable. It does not paint the Senate in a good light, by any stretch of the imagination.

Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. Immediately to Senator Lazarus's left is my colleague Senator Siewert. I would be horrified to think that she would be referred to as a feral, and I ask the Attorney-General to withdraw it.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is not a point of order.

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

Mr President, on the point of order: you may not have heard, but I understood Senator Milne asked for that to be withdrawn.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not hear that. My apologies. Can you clarify what you wanted to have withdrawn, Senator Milne?

Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Attorney-General told Senator Lazarus that the person to his immediate left was one of the ones referred to as feral, and that is my colleague Senator Siewert. I am asking for that to be withdrawn.

Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, on a point of clarification: was it actually me that Senator Brandis was referring to as feral?

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I raise a point of order. I think the people in the gallery think we are all bloody feral.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is no point of order. It would be no surprise to any senator in the chamber that I did not hear the comments of Senator Brandis, because of the level of noise within the chamber. If Senator Brandis has said something which needs to be withdrawn, I will leave it up to Senator Brandis to make that assessment. Please can we just keep the noise down. The odd interjection can be amusing but not the level that we have had.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I was merely speculating on what might have been in the Prime Minister's mind; I was not making a comment about any individual senator. Amidst all this merriment and jollity, Senator Lazarus, there is a more important point to be made. These higher education bills are absolutely critical for the university sector. I know that we have not yet been able to persuade you and others of the crossbench to support them, but the government will, after a period of deliberation, be re-presenting these bills. (Time expired)

Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Rather than describing Senate crossbenchers as 'feral', wouldn't it be better for the government to actually consider the Senate's suggestions? For example, yesterday's Senate references committee report regarding higher education recommended a proper review into costs and funding of the sector and alternatives to deregulation. Will the government take this recommendation on board or just keep calling senators names?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, I have assured you that that statement was not made by the Prime Minister about the crossbenchers. But I will tell you, Senator Lazarus, because I know that you have been engaged in this discussion, I know that you have been good enough to give the minister and his staff a good audience on these bills, we will re-present the higher education legislation in a few months time. In the meantime, if you will entertain us, we will continue to try and persuade you why 40 out of the 41 Australian university vice-chancellors are right. We will seek to persuade you why, for example, the Nobel laureate Professor Brian Schmidt was right when he said:

… this is an incredibly important reform. The current university funding model is … not very good. I would say it's close to being broken.

We will continue, with respect, to seek to persuade you, Senator. (Time expired)