House debates

Thursday, 23 March 2023

Statements by Members

Liberal Party of Australia

1:56 pm

Photo of Jerome LaxaleJerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

This Saturday, the people of New South Wales will vote for a new government. To assist the House I thought I'd remind them of all the scandals that have riddled the current Liberal opposition, when in government, who have well passed their use-by date. You Liberals are lucky I only have 90 seconds! I simply cannot cover every scandal, every rort, that's happened over the last 12 years, so here's just a sample of scandal, an amuse-bouche of transgression, if you will. Here we go.

Premiers O'Farrell and Berejiklian resigned after a scandal before ICAC. Damien Tudehope, former Liberal leader in the upper house had shares in Transurban, all of which are part of a government that privatised Sydney's roads to—you guessed it—Transurban. Dodgy Daryl Maguire was investigated by ICAC for his property dealings, charged by police for conspiracy for his part in a corrupt visa scheme. John 'Pork' Barilaro—I could spend 30 minutes on him alone. He politicised disaster funding grants excluding the fire ravaged Blue Mountains from a $100 million fund and then tried to score himself a half-a-million-dollar job to go to New York City. Liberal members of parliament Edwards, Owen, Cornwell and Webber all admitted to receiving illegal donations. We've had coalition ministers sacked from the ministry for Islamophobic and anti-vax jokes, and I could go on.

New South Wales has an amazing record of booting out rotten governments—and they got it right when they kicked you lot out last year—and they're going to kick the Liberals out this year. This Saturday, vote for Lyndal Howison, Donna Davis, Chris Minns and Labor for a fresh start in New South Wales.