Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's no exaggeration to say that, if Mr Robert Menzies, the founding father of the Liberal Party, could see the party as it stands today, he would barely recognise it. I think it would be fair to say he'd be rolling over in his grave right now. The legacy of the Liberal and National parties is one of drift and denial. Those opposite are defined not by what they stand for but by what they stand against. Those opposite only ever resist reform, more interested—

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Excuse me, Senator Polley. Can I just interrupt you for a second. Senators, the banter across the chamber is quite distracting, and all senators in this place deserve to be listened to in silence. Out of respect, can we either take it out of the chamber or cease the banter.

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite only ever resist reform and are more interested in obstruction than offering genuine alternatives or policies worthy of our country. The sense of national purpose which should unite us all, which we have on this side, no longer exists on that side of the chamber.

Australia faces opportunities but also significant challenges—cost-of-living pressures, a changing energy landscape, the need for accessible child care and the imperative to ensure fair wages and secure retirements. Yet, when these issues arise, the default position of the coalition—those on that side of the chamber—is to say no. Instead of engaging constructively, they oppose the tax cuts that would ease the cost-of-living burden on family households, resist meaningful reform to child care that would help working families and object to wage improvements that would lift millions of Australians out of stagnation. On energy, they blocked pathways to cleaner, cheaper power. On housing, they stymied efforts to make homes more affordable. Even reforms to superannuation, designed to give Australians dignity in retirement, were also met with reluctance.

The pattern of those opposite is very clear. Those opposite represent a party of opposition, not of vision. Let's be clear: they are not abstract policy debates that we've been having in this place. They are decisions that affect every Australian, whether they're in a family, working Australians, our seniors or our pensioners. By fighting against measures to ease our cost-of-living pressures, the Liberal and National parties are failing those they claim to represent. We see their resistance to progress on tax, child care, wages, energy, housing and superannuation—the fundamentals of our society. We know what they think about Medicare and universal health care: they oppose it. At every opportunity when they've been in government, they have slashed money. They used to use the health system and our hospitals as ATMs, cash machines, that they ripped money out of. They, with their actions, leave Australians worse off.

What is even worse is that they're clinging to a very much outdated agenda while everyday people are asking for relief and looking for reform, vision and leadership. You only had to look at the leaked coalition election review. That review outlined, in very bare, stark terms, the truth: the leadership turmoil that they were under during that time, the lack of any compelling policies and how deeply they alienated voters—and we saw how they alienated women in the electorate. But what have they done since then? They have actually rewarded the people who were the masters of those policy areas around taxation, around moving the economy and around energy. What they've done is reward them and put them into leadership.

To make matters worse, the first-ever female leader of the Liberal Party was turfed out after nine months. That's all. And then what did we see yesterday? The turmoil continues. Mr Littleproud—who, while he was the Leader of the Nationals, did everything he could to undermine Sussan Ley while she was the Leader of the Liberal Party—abruptly resigned because the leadership got too much for him. No wonder the Australian people have no confidence in the Liberals and the Nationals and are looking to this government for reform and vision for the future.