Senator JOYCE (Queensland—Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (9.26 am)—In discussing this procedural motion for the cut-off, I think it is very important that we acknowledge exactly what happened yesterday in this chamber. Yesterday in this chamber, Senator Evans, when an adjournment was required, walked down to see Senator Brown of the Greens and handed him the motion for Senator Brown to read out. Senator Brown, on behalf of the Greens, did Labor’s bidding. That is how close the arrangement is.

Government senators interjecting—
The PRESIDENT—Order!

Senator Bob Brown—That was a complete manufacture. I will lend the honourable senator my glasses.

The PRESIDENT—What is your point of order?
Honourable senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT—As there is no point of order Senator Joyce has the call, but I draw his attention to the procedural motion.
Senator JOYCE—I am discussing, Mr President, how we got to this procedural motion. Senator Evans was basically instructing Senator Brown to do the Labor Party’s bidding on this issue and then, when it was actually mangled, we had Senator Ludwig correcting Senator Brown’s motion. At least within the coalition between the National Party and the Liberal Party it is open and transparent. But their coalition is something that is—

Government senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT—I understand that there is a little bit of excitement around the chamber this morning. Senator Joyce, though, is entitled to be heard in silence.

Senator JOYCE—So the Labor Party was correcting Senator Brown’s motion in this sort of nefarious approach they have to manipulating the structure of what is going on here. And the reason the Greens are very upset today is that Senator Xenophon has done a better job than them in protecting the Murray-Darling. Senator Xenophon actually had the courage and the conviction to go to bat. The Greens stayed back behind. I do not agree with the Greens but it surprises me today that we have to rely on Senator Xenophon to be doing their bidding. The Greens have compromised themselves on this issue and they have sold out to the Labor Party.

Government senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT—Order! Senator Joyce, you are entitled to be heard in silence. Those on my right will cease interjecting.

Senator JOYCE—They are supporting this motion. It is good that we are having this debate. But what is it all about? It is about selling Australia’s future, putting us in hock for up to $200 billion.

In my former life I was an accountant and all the time I would have people coming to see me and say, ‘I think I am in so much trouble I may lose my house.’ One in the unfortunate things you would have to say to them is: ‘Yes, you are going to lose your house; it is gone. You are so deep in debt. You are out of control and you are drowning in debt.’ And Australia is that house for all of us; it is our communal house. Yet the Labor Party today are marching us towards a position of no return. They know of the view out there that this excessive debt is going to have huge ramifications for the future of this country. And the only people who are selling out—

Senator Hutchins interjecting—

The PRESIDENT—Order! Senator Hutchins, you will cease interjecting. It is disorderly. Senator Joyce is entitled to be heard in silence.

Senator JOYCE—The Labor Party are arrogant. They have shown no semblance of wanting to engage with this Senate in a constructive package. They have come in here with a gun-to-the-head mentality that this is exactly how they are going to deal with the situation. And in the process we have shown to the Australian people a relationship between the Greens and the Labor Party that is delivered when required, where the Greens do the Labor Party’s bidding, even if it means the Greens have to sell their own people down the tube. That is one of the things that must be brought to light.

This is an arrogant Labor government. It is a government that has no interest in being open and transparent. They are holding a gun to the head of this Senate. They are currently trying to work-over Senator Xenophon. That is the approach that they are taking to the Australian people, and it has not taken them too long to get there. But one thing the Australian people understand clearly is that $200 billion worth of debt is very hard to repay. My question to the Labor Party is: what are you going to sell to pay this debt back? What do you have in mind to sell in order to pay back this Labor Party debt? You know where you are taking us to. You know what you are doing to this nation. You know how deeply you are putting us into debt.

Senator Hutchins—You’ve signed your own death warrant.
Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT—Senator Hutchins, I have already asked you to cease, on a couple of occasions, from interjecting. It is disorderly. And others on my right are interjecting as well. It is disorderly. Senator Joyce is entitled to be heard in silence.

Senator JOYCE—Mr President, the Australian people are hearing the Labor Party interjecting and I say to the Australian people who are listening to this that that is because the Labor Party know where the truth lies. They know how smelly this whole process has been in the way they have conducted themselves. They have this arrogant approach: it is my way or the highway. ‘Get out of the way,’ is what the Prime Minister said. That is his form of negotiation: ‘Get out of my way and let me do my dirty work.’ At the same time the connotations are that there is a sort of moral threat if we do not put this package through—as if Mr Rudd is an omnipotent force of knowledge and you must listen to him and deal with his wishes within 48 hours.
If the Labor Party had openly engaged, if they had genuinely said that they wanted to engage with the coalition, then we would have a stimulus package today that would be working. It would be under way. So the problems with the stimulus package rest on the heads of those opposite, because it is the Labor Party’s arrogance that has delivered us this situation. They cannot blame all the people all the time for their own mistakes.

Senator Sterle interjecting—

The PRESIDENT—Senator Sterle, order!

Senator JOYCE—I thank you for that. It is important that we clearly understand that the coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party represents two distinct parties and on this issue we are as one. At least we are open and transparent about it, but the coalition between the Labor Party and the Greens has been taking the whole of the Australian people for a ride. So we support this motion but we hope that Australia does not have to live with $200 billion worth of debt, because I do not know and the Labor Party do not know—because they have never shown us—how on earth we are ever going to pay that money back.