Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week we saw again the consequences of the weakness of this Prime Minister. We saw the cost: violent demonstrations led by fascists and in some cases led by self-avowed neo-Nazis. There were nooses, threats and political violence. These aren't demonstrations. It is terrorism when the lives of members of parliament and senators are threatened, and this Prime Minister couldn't bring himself to condemn those threats, that violence or those demonstrations. Indeed, there are MPs and senators from this place who supported that activity. That has real consequences for the future of our democracy.

There's always a 'but' with the Prime Minister. It's very difficult to understand where this weakness comes from. Is it self-interest, because he's currying the favour and the votes of extremists? Is it self-interest, because he wants the preferences of extremist political parties that will be out there with Senator Rennick, Senator Canavan and Mr Christensen with all of the conspiracy theories, frightening ordinary people? Does he want their support? Is it weakness because he's frightened of the five senators whose weak threats to stop legislation in the Senate will probably come to nothing? Or is it because he's weak on extremist politics? This bloke has got to go.