MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Senator POLLEY (Tasmania) (15:53): Well, I have never heard such rubbish as that from One Nation probably since the last time one of them got up to speak in this chamber. The reality is that One Nation and the Liberals—they're chummy here in the chamber—are only ever against positivity. They say no to everything, because they have been able to produce not one new market for Australian exports.
One Nation has not actually delivered anything to any farmer in this country—not one thing: nothing on milk, nothing to do with cheese, nothing to do with beef or sheepmeat, nothing at all. Senator Canavan: Why can't you defend this agreement? Tell us how amazing it is.
Senator POLLEY: And we've just had an interjection from the National Party. Well, what a disgrace. What a disgrace to come into this chamber and then try to rewrite history.
You guys were in government for almost a decade and could not seal the deal. This is an amazing achievement. The Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator Don Farrell, and the Prime Minister should be congratulated for what they have delivered, which is going to be of such great benefit to our economy and to Australian workers.
As a senator representing Tasmania, I am very proud of that—very proud indeed. But we need to put on the record the real facts. You don't want to listen, because you don't want to be reminded of your failings as a member of the government.
Senator O'Sullivan interjecting— The PRESIDENT: Senator O'Sullivan, I think I am managing this chamber. I do not need your interjections. Senator POLLEY: The reality is the Australian people know, as they did when they voted for this government a second time, that what we say is what we're going to do and what we will deliver.
It's alright for One Nation to go to an election—and you're feeling so good at the moment because you've been in bed with the Liberals and you've done— The PRESIDENT: Senator Polley, you need to address your comments to the chair. Senator POLLEY: Through you, President, I am just wanting to remind people who might be listening to this, as well as those in the chamber, that after the South Australian election, with the Liberals and One Nation now firmly together—and it's looking like they want to do preference deals in Victoria later this year—when you vote for the Liberals you will get One Nation.
People ought to remember what One Nation stand for. They voted against the tax cuts that this government gave to working Australians. Each and every time, they've voted against it.
What have they done when it comes to cost-of-living relief? They've voted against it. What did they do when it came to giving energy relief to Australians?
They voted against it every single time. The PRESIDENT: Senator Canavan? Senator Canavan: On relevance, this motion is about the Australia-EU free trade agreement, and the senator is— The PRESIDENT: I will draw the senator back to the question.
Thank you, Senator Canavan. Senator Polley, you need to address the motion. Senator POLLEY: This is all relevant to this free trade agreement.
This motion was put up by One Nation, and what they're about is blocking and division. Those are their two priorities for our nation. Your priority as One Nation is to propose this MPI when you should, in fact, be applauding Minister Farrell for signing this agreement that has taken—since we've been in government—four years.
He has done something that the former government, who had 10 years, failed to do. This is good for our economy and good for Australian workers. We know that you don't really support Australian workers, because you've proven that in this chamber when you've voted against every measure and every piece of legislation that our government has brought into this chamber to support Australians with the cost-of-living crisis that they've been facing.
We know you voted against the Housing Australia Future Fund. You might talk when you go out in the community and pretend that you actually care about homeless people and about people having affordable housing, but in this chamber you're negative—just as you are today when it comes to the trade that we now have open to us with this free trade agreement, something that is going to be so beneficial to my home state and to the rest of Australians.
This is a $30 trillion benefit. That's what it is. It's opening up our markets to a market we haven't had opportunities in before.
Instead of congratulating us and working with the government to deliver to Australians, all you do as members of One Nation—and that's been demonstrated today with this motion you've brought forward—is show that you only believe in division, chaos and undermining the good work of trying to deliver for the Australian people. That is evident in your contributions—and you grin!
You think it's funny; it's not. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: It's always good to be here, because I've learnt something today. There is no motion as part of this, so there is no relevance.
It is a discussion, so it's very broad ranging.