COMMITTEES

Senator CADELL (New South Wales—Nationals Whip in the Senate) (16:04): To continue the remarks of Senator Canavan, it is disappointing. I've similarly stood on plenty of polling booths where groups of one organisation have a belief in their candidate or in one sort of thing. The unions believe, for better or worse, that the ALP better represents them, so they come out and stand on their booths.

There is nothing wrong with that. I would prefer they didn't—I'd like to stay at home and have a beer and watch the footy—but they come out because that represents their belief. If a church or a group of people come out because a different party represents their belief and values, that is a good thing.

I stood on a booth where people from the same organisation preferred a different candidate than the coalition candidate, and they handed out for that candidate—not ours—because they preferred that candidate. That is their right. I might have been annoyed at that and preferred they stay home, but they did not.

If we go down the path of prosecuting people for standing behind their beliefs, what has this country become? If people have to be mute, remain silent and sit on their hands rather than strive for the country they want, strive for the values they want and strive for the government they want, that is wrong. If I tell the union movement they should no longer be allowed to come out and hand out on ballot papers, that is wrong.

GetUp annoy me because they don't run candidates but they're happy to go to polling booths and hand out material, but if I tell them they can't do that, that is wrong. We should be careful about including only those people that agree with us in the democratic process, because that isn't a democratic process; that is the first step towards dictatorship. Using a report—using a process—to go after people of belief or people with values, whether you agree with them or not, is the wrong thing to do.

That is censorship. It is horrific, and I don't want to see it. I also see members from the other place who highlighted the effect of this group behind another community group.

The Brethren out in the seat of Calare ran and funded their own rapid response team given the lack of emergency services. It was called the Rapid Relief Team. The local member there, Mr Andrew Gee, highlighted and praised their activities in saving people during the Eugowra floods and put on his social media how it was great to see people come together for their community.

He thought it was a good thing when that same group of people, being community focused, were doing a good thing for the community, but as soon as one handed a 'how to vote' card out for someone other than him, they were 'bad people'. That is wrong. Let us not go down the path of choosing who can participate in democracy.

Let's not go down the path of saying people are good when they do things you want and bad when they don't. Senator Ayres: I feel like you're going to regret saying that. Senator CADELL: Here we go: 'I'm going to regret'.

Here is a gentleman that's now raising regret for organisations getting involved. Let's talk—through the chair—about the CFMEU, who came out on booths, handing out for the Labor government. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Polley ): Senator Cadell, please take your seat.

I remind all senators that interjections are disorderly, and, certainly, shouting across the chamber is unwarranted. Senator Cadell, please continue with your remarks. Senator CADELL: Responding to interjections is allowed in the rulings, and the interjection was clear in that I would regret saying this.

There's another implied threat through you, Acting President. A government senator interjecting— Senator CADELL: Here we go; we hear more, so let's go down this path. When we have the CFMEU accused of taking $15 billion of money out of the coffers of Australians to build infrastructure, when we have people from that organisation charged or being investigated or when we have an administrator come in to run the organisation because things are looking so crook—the feeling of this government is that they should be allowed to exercise their democratic right but people of faith should not.

People of faith should not be able to act as a group and come out and seek— Government senators interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! I'm asking you to come to order. I know everyone's excited that it's Thursday, but I will remind people that shouting across— Senator Canavan interjecting— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I'm sorry; did you not hear me, Senator, when I called everyone to order?

Senator CADELL: This is what we're hearing now. We're hearing that people in the public order that have had allegations made against them can participate, but a group of people who share beliefs another way cannot. Weaponising that and saying that they will be subpoenaed to appear in front of hearings when they have already volunteered to come at a different time is wrong.

To use it to try and denigrate others is wrong. And it doesn't matter what group it is. I welcome the involvement of the union movement in democracy.

I welcome the involvement of Brethren in democracy. I welcome political parties in democracy, because that is what we do and that is how we make our country better—by getting more people involved in the process, not alienating those who want to be involved.