Bill Shorten in Question Time., page-121

Any comparison between what Abbott is dealing with in the senate and what Gillard had in order to sustain her illegitimate governmentneeds to have a simple look at the facts.

How could you compare dealing with the Labor/Silly Greens coalition plus Xenophon, Lambie, Lazarus, Wang, Madigan, Muir, Leyonhjelm and Day with what Gillard had, which was:



A coalition - promoted as getting support in the House but in reality a coalition in both houses.


The concessions secured by the Greens included:

• the formation of a climate change committee
• a parliamentary debate on Afghanistan
• a referendum on recognising Indigenous Australians
• restrictions on political donations
• legislation on truth in political advertising
• the establishment of a Parliamentary Budget Committee
• a parliamentary integrity commissioner
• improved processes for release of documents in Parliament
• a leaders debates Commission
• a move towards full three-year parliamentary terms
• two-and-a-half hours of allocated debate for private members' bills
• access for Greens to various Treasury documents

There is no comparison. I would argue that the current senate is not only unrepresentative, it is unmanageable. The government has done everything in its power to accommodate them and get their support. They are either fundamentally opposed or unable to comprehend the details.