Two days ago in the parliament there was unanimous support for a motion that dealt with the issue of misinformation by members at this place, it was unanimous.
Leave was given by the government for that motion to be put forward and it was supported by this entire parliament. I voted yes to that motion. (There was no vote, it passed on the voices.)
That’s what I did in this place, I voted yes to that motion as did every member of the government, member of opposition, to defend what I thought was a very clear signal on behalf of the entire parliament.
So I find it somewhat disappointing that mood of bipartisanship in addressing this issue is now being sought to be undermined by the Labor party, only two days later.
What was that actually about? What was that about two days ago? Are we coming together to decry misinformation or was this just another political game for the Labor party? What was it? I thought, Mr Speaker, as the prime minister, when asked whether support would be given to bring such a motion that this was an invitation for the parliament to come together and decry misinformation.
That’s what I understood, I engaged with the leader of government business in the House and I said we should give leave to that and I spoke in favour of that motion. And in this place, we, as a group of elected officials, I thought, sent a very clear message against misinformation, in this parliament.
That’s what I thought, but what we see today, not even 48 hours later, the Labor party comes in here and even seeks to undermine the bipartisanship they sought to promote two days ago.
I have become quite accustomed to that behaviour from the opposition over the course of this pandemic.
I’ve been quite accustomed as Labor, even most recently, have been seeking to tear down jobkeeper, tear down jobkeeper, one of the most important programs that has brought this country through, and Labor has said it’s been a waste of money, Mr Speaker, that it’s been a waste. On every occasion, what we have seen from the Labor party through this pandemic is not a spirit of bipartisanship, but they have been a constant headwind to the efforts of this government to bring Australia through this. What Labor have been has been seeking to undermine and hurdles, obstacles in the way. We would invite them to take a different approach, but I’m not optimistic because I have seen their form over the last 18 months.
