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Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Page: 5175

Senator IAN MACDONALD (Queensland) (13:56): Can I reinforce Senator Bernardi's question to the minister. If Ms Gillard made a commitment in relation to reducing the benefits made to parents for child care, why, Minister, would anyone in Australia have believed her at the time? You will recall, of course, that just a year ago, just a few days before the election, Ms Gillard promised everyone in Australia, 'There shall be no carbon tax under a government I lead.' When Tony Abbott pointed out to the Australian public on about a dozen occasions that a Greens-Labor accord would introduce a carbon tax, the deputy Labor leader, Mr Swan, said that Mr Abbott was being hysterical. Ms Gillard came back the day before the election and, hand on heart, promised all Australians, 'There shall be no carbon tax under a government I lead.' So how could the Australian people, knowing that Ms Gillard told the Australian public a direct and deliberate lie, take any notice of any commitment that the Labor Party and their Greens allies gave before the election?

Senator Bernardi has raised as well the question of what notice the government will take in relation to child care of the protesters that came from all over Australia yesterday to make their views known. They are protestors who did it the right way, sought approval from the police authorities, and yet Senator Brown, the Greens political party leader, who has a record of illegal protesting, accused the convoy of being a convoy that has not blockaded anything. Senator Brown, do you know why they did not blockade anything? Because they abided by the law. They told the police and asked the police for directions where they could do it. They wanted to do it in a lawful and orderly way, unlike Senator Brown. Senator Brown came in and said they were a mob of moaners in town to moan about everything in general and nothing in particular. Fancy that coming from Senator Bob Brown, who has a whole history of moaning and whingeing about everything—

Honourable senators interjecting—

The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN ( Senator Back ) (13:59): Senator Macdonald has a right to be heard in silence.