STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator NAMPIJINPA PRICE (Northern Territory) (13:46): Homophobic, antisemitic, racist and misogynistic—that is how the language used in Rhys Muldoon's now deleted social media posts has been rightly described. We will not let the Labor government pretend this was just an ordinary staffer. Muldoon attended the Prime Minister's wedding.

He is pictured kissing the Prime Minister on the cheek. The Labor government is very quick to lecture Australians about respect, inclusion and acceptable political discourse. Conservative women, Jewish Australians, Indigenous Australians and gay Australians do not become fair game simply because the abuse comes from someone on the political left.

So I ask Labor: are these the standards you hold within your government? Mr Muldoon's comments are not just horrific; they reveal an underlying disease that plagues this Labor government. It reflects their lack of standards and diligence.

It is why we are in economic freefall. It is why Aussies are struggling to put food on the table. If this government is so careless about the standards it applies to the people within its own ranks, Australians have every reason to question whether it is applying the same level of care to the decisions that affect their lives.

When small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open, when Australians are working harder just to get by, they deserve a government that approaches its responsibilities with care and the standards Australians expect. A 'traitor', 'a fake Jew', the N-word, homophobia and even comments about a woman's appearance—this is another dark chapter in a list of controversies linked to the Prime Minister.

Once again, the Albanese Labor government has fallen short of what Australians expect from their government.