Albanese Government

Simon Birmingham

I seek leave to move a motion relating to the Albanese Labor government as circulated in the chamber:

That the Senate:

Notes that:

(a) Senator Farrell has demonstrated how out of touch the Albanese Labor Government is when it comes to cost-of-living pressures on Australian households and businesses when he said, "I do not follow power prices…closely".

(b) Senator Farrell has demonstrated that the Albanese Labor Government has no real plan to address cost-of-living pressures on Australian households and businesses; and

(c) Condemns the Albanese Labor Government for breaking its promises to Australians by:

i. failing to deliver its promised $275 reduction in power bills;

ii. failing to deliver its promised cheaper mortgages;

iii. failing to honour its promise to not change superannuation taxes;

iv. failing to honour its promise to not change taxes on franking credits;

v. failing to honour its promise to deliver real wage increases;

vi. failing to honour its promise to lower cost-of-living pressures; and

vii. failing to categorically rule out breaking its promise to honour the legislated stage 3 tax cuts in full.

Hon. Senators

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Order on my left and right! Thank you, Senator Birmingham; you have sought leave, but I remind the chamber that Senator Canavan was entitled to ask his second supplementary question. Senator Canavan, do you wish to do that before I go to the question of leave?

Senator Canavan, I'm asking you a question; when you answer I expect you to stand.

Matthew Canavan

I'm perfectly fine for the Leader of the Opposition to have precedence on these matters.

Sue Lines

Thank you, Senator Canavan. Is leave granted to Senator Birmingham?

Leave not granted.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Order on my left! Your leader is on his feet. Leave has been denied. Senator Birmingham.

Simon Birmingham

Pursuant to contingent notice of motion standing in my name, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion as outlined before and circulated in the chamber for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to the Albanese Labor government.

Most Australians know the smallgoods advertising campaign with the slogan: 'Is Don. Is good.' Sadly, this week Senator Farrell has looked and sounded more like a turkey than any sorts of tasty smallgoods, with answer after answer comprising nothing but gobbledegook, endless ums and ahs, stalling tactics, pauses and evasion tactics to get to the end of every single question and run the clock down.

Sue Lines

Senator Birmingham, please resume your seat. A suspension of standing orders has been sought. That is what you are speaking to. You need to be explaining why we need to suspend standing orders.

Simon Birmingham

President, it has been an extraordinary show this week from the Acting Leader of the Government in the Senate, so extraordinary that it does warrant consideration of an extraordinary motion that necessitates the suspension of standing orders. Senator Farrell, during the course of this week, was asked about the rate of electricity price increases in Australia. What did we get? 'Don't know.' He was asked about the rate of grocery price increases in Australia. What did we get? 'Don't know.' Senator Farrell was asked about the rate of rental rate increases in Australia. What did we get? 'Don't know.' Senator Farrell was asked about the rate of mortgage increases in Australia. And what did we get? 'Don't know.'

Opposition senators interjecting—

Not only does Senator Farrell not know but, indeed, he—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Order, across the chamber, but particularly on my left! Senator Birmingham, I did remind you that you have sought to suspend standing orders, and you need to be demonstrating to the chamber why you are seeking that suspension.

Simon Birmingham

President, as I outlined, this has been quite an extraordinary week in the Senate that does warrant the suspension of standing orders—

Sue Lines

Senator McGrath, I've just called the chamber to order. You are being incredibly disrespectful and disorderly. I would ask you to be silent. Senator Birmingham, please continue.

Simon Birmingham

So extraordinary has it been, that not only has Senator Farrell indicated he doesn't know the answers to these things, but, on power prices, he admitted: 'I do not follow power prices closely.' Right around Australia, households and small businesses are opening their power bills, each and every day, under the shock of the increasing rates of electricity, with genuine concern and pressures that they are feeling, and here we have the Albanese Labor government saying it doesn't know, it doesn't follow it and, apparently, it seems, it just does not care.

James McGrath

Out of touch; don't care.

Simon Birmingham

It doesn't care. It is a government, indeed, that is out of touch. Of course, it isn't just in relation to those matters affecting the cost-of-living pressures on Australians that we've seen this remarkable performance. Even on national security matters, such as cybersecurity protections of Five Eyes partners or, indeed, in relation to giving cogent answers on the AUKUS partnership, Senator Farrell has demonstrated time and again that he and the Albanese government just don't know—don't know, don't care, are not properly in touch.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Of course, it comes on the back of a government that is continuously breaking its promises. As we approach the one-year anniversary of this government, it is worth this chamber taking the step to giving special attention to debating the many broken promises of this government, because Senator Farrell—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Senator Birmingham, please resume your seat. Once again, the disorder across the chamber—

Carol Brown

It's the 'no-alition'!

Sue Lines

Senator Brown, I've just sat the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate down, to call for order. I don't expect senators to continue to call out.

Simon Birmingham

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Albanese government, it is worth this chamber taking the time to debate the extraordinary list of broken promises that have been racked up and the denial of them that is occurring on the other side. Time and again, we have sought to get the government to respond directly to their promise that they would reduce household electricity prices by $275. During the course of this week we actually asked them to acknowledge direct quotes out of their own policy document. They won't acknowledge it. We've even handed the document across the chamber with the quote highlighted. They still wouldn't acknowledge it. We even asked Senator Farrell yesterday just to say the words 'two hundred and seventy-five dollars'. He could not say them. He would not say them.

They will not admit that on more than 97 occasions before Australians cast their votes they went out and promised power price reductions of $275. And then the day after the election, and not once since have they been willing to repeat that promise. Not on one single day have any of you been game to repeat that promise—nor has Prime Minister Albanese—because you knew you never had an intention of delivering it. You knew it would never happen. It was a broken promise from the moment you made it, just like your promises not to change superannuation taxes, just like your promises not to change franking credits. They're all broken promises from a government that has demonstrated just how inept it is, how committed to breaking its promises it is and, as a result, how much the Australian people are feeling the pain from a government showing so early how out of touch it is. (Time expired)

Don Farrell

I've got to say, I'm pretty disappointed in Senator Birmingham. You should have left these schoolboy tactics behind—maybe at university, even. One of the reasons why—and I don't think you've quite understood this, Senator Birmingham—you only got 71 likes on your Facebook the other day is nobody is listening to you.

Opposition Senators

Opposition senators interjecting—

Don Farrell

The reason they're not listening to you—

The

Minister Farrell!

Don Farrell

is you're irrelevant to the Australian people.

Sue Lines

Senator Farrell!

Don Farrell

Why did you lose? Why did you—

Sue Lines

Senator Farrell! Order! Please resume your seat. Once again, I had to call 'order' about four times. This is disrespectful and it's incredibly disorderly. Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell

They don't like me telling them the truth about how irrelevant they are. You were rejected by the Australian people and you haven't got over that. You haven't got over the fact that you were rejected. What you hate, what you absolutely hate, is—

Glenn Sterle

Each other!

Don Farrell

That's true. You're dead right there, Senator Sterle. You do hate each other. I know you want some diversion from the Ruston-Antic—where is Antic? Out getting his numbers, I suppose.

Sue Lines

Minister Farrell, please, when referring to a senator in this place, use his proper title. Senator O'Sullivan?

Matt O'Sullivan

On a point of order. You just addressed the first one I was going to raise. The second one is that I ask you to ask the minister to direct his comments through the chair, please.

Sue Lines

I believe he is doing that, Senator O'Sullivan, but I will remind him to direct his comments to the chair.

Don Farrell

Yes, I should have referred to the dispute between Senator Ruston and Senator Antic about preselections in South Australia.

Opposition senators interjecting—

That's why, of course, it's Senator Birmingham who's trying to divert attention from the terrible, terrible internal—

Sue Lines

Senator Farrell, please resume your seat. Order! I'll come to you in a moment, Senator Birmingham. I had just called the chamber to order, and the minute the minister got back to his feet the disorder and the interjections immediately started up again. Senator Birmingham.

Simon Birmingham

President, on a point of order: you drew me to the question of the matter of suspension of standing orders on multiple occasions, without anybody having to make a point of order. I invite you to apply the same standard to Senator Farrell.

Sue Lines

Thank you, Senator Birmingham. I did draw you to the suspension; I note you very rarely went there. I will do the same to Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell

They can't stand the truth. The truth is: you were an irrelevant government, you were a bad government, and you are an irrelevant opposition.

Matt O'Sullivan

You are so arrogant!

Don Farrell

That's not arrogance—

Sue Lines

Minister Farrell, resume your seat. I ask for that to be withdrawn.

Matt O'Sullivan

I withdraw.

Sue Lines

Thank you. Minister Farrell.

Don Farrell

What are we doing in terms of cost of living? We're putting downward pressure on cost of living. How many times have I spoken this week? How many times have I spoken this week about what we're doing to push down the price of—

Sue Lines

Senator Farrell, I direct your comments to the suspension of the standing orders. Please continue.

Don Farrell

I am commenting on the suspension, President. The reality is that this government is doing things the previous government was never, ever prepared to do. They have opposed, in opposition, to put downward—

James McGrath

We didn't break promises!

Don Farrell

Oh, come off it, Senator! This is a government that understands the problems of ordinary working Australians, which your government never, ever understood, and it never, ever will understand the problems of ordinary working Australians. We're putting on that downward pressure with cheaper medicines and cheaper child care, and by expanding parental leave for six months. We are finally getting wages moving again. What was your—

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Minister Farrell, please resume your seat! I'm going to wait for order once again. Minister Farrell, please continue.

Don Farrell

What was your policy on wages? Structurally, to keep wages depressed! We've supported ordinary working people to get wages going. More affordable housing: we're doing something about affordable housing, which you completely ignored! Fee-free TAFE places and all of these things are putting the downward pressure on. And, of course, we're delivering on recognition of Australia's First Nations people by delivering a Voice to parliament.

You don't like us doing any of those things, but we're the government. We're looking after the people of Australia and we're looking after the people of Australia in a way that you have never done and have never been able to do.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines

Order on my left! Senator Farrell, please continue.

Long debate text truncated.