Senator O'SULLIVAN (Queensland—Nationals Whip in the Senate) (15:10): Today, colleagues, we saw an absolute new low. I am telling you, I looked up and saw the snake's belly while I was listening to that question about Mornington Island. Senator McLucas interjecting— Senator O'SULLIVAN: I have been there, Senator McLucas. I have been there and heard the same evidence. You need to go and check your Hansard against his Hansard. The minister did not mention the council in his answer and it was the only thing you quoted. He talked to you about the police. He talked to you about the community organisations. We went to a health centre—I had two visits there. Two long days I had on Mornington Island and, I tell you, your question should have been to the minister: what can I do to help the minister in dealing with the very serious alcohol problem on Mornington Island? But you had no interest in that. Your interest would have been reflected in your question. What do you want to do? You want to diminish the efforts that are coming out of that two-day visit where the minister kindly came along with our assistant health minister. These are two serious people who took a very serious interest when I raised with them the problems on Mornington Island. If you have been to Mornington Island, I accept that. I ask you now, next time you get up to make a contribution, what did you do about what you saw? The problems are still there. What did you do when you were in government? You are a senator based in northern Queensland. This is a very vital part of your constituency. So the next time you get an opportunity, why do you not lay down what you did when you were in government for the poor people of Mornington Island. The circumstances over there are not Third World; they are fifth world, sixth world on Mornington Island. There were 200 offences before the court over the course of one week. I took a great deal of interest in this. I sat there with a fellow—I cannot think of the fellow's name—who has got a PhD and is doing continuing work there in a community role. We went through the court list and were able to determine that something like 180 of those offences would not have occurred had alcohol not been involved. It is a horrific problem. You heard the minister say to you that he does not know— Senator McLucas: What are you doing? Senator O'SULLIVAN: You chose to ignore this. This is a very vexed question. You chose to ignore what he said—that the Vegemite may be having a placebo effect or that they may be convinced it has a function that it does not. I am telling you the Vegemite is going in. You should be interested about how we might educate the people on Mornington Island if the Vegemite is not working. These are people who have got seven times the capacity to have concerns about their kidneys. Families are being separated because of these home-brews. They are being separated from their families and are off to Townsville never to come home—some of them do not have the capacity. This is not a Greyhound bus ride, as you ought to know being from North Queensland. I think that was a new low that question today. Did it have any interest in the people of Mornington Island? No it did not. Did it show any interest in how we might be able to support this minister and the Assistant Minister for Health after their visit there to do something about this atrocious situation? No it did not. It was just a collage of cheap shots directed at our minister, who works very hard in this place. He is a very genuine, very decent man. I am telling you, this is one area— Opposition senators interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: There is far too much interjecting happening. I call the Senate to order. Senator O'SULLIVAN: Let me take a deep breath. Work in Indigenous affairs, can I say to you, needs to be absolutely above politics in this place. Stunts like today, questions like that— Senator Lines: Stunts like Vegemite. Senator O'SULLIVAN: Let me finish speaking. I know you do not like what I have got to say. Indigenous affairs in particular, when we are seeing the absolute terrible crisis we have in these communities, ought to be above politics in this place. I ask you and invite you the next time you craft a question for the minister or anyone else in the space of Indigenous affairs, you need to ask yourself: does it meet the test of making a positive contribution to progress in the efforts of the government in this space? Because this was a disgrace. Senator Lines interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator O'SULLIVAN: It was a disgrace today and—no, you can holler as much as you want, Senator Lines. I have been there. We are doing things with Mornington Island. I was on the phone with them this morning, not even knowing this question was coming up, continuing— Senator Lines: What a hero! Senator O'SULLIVAN: There you go, Senator Lines,—through you, Mr Deputy President, that is your contribution: referring to someone as a hero. You have zero interest, and you should not be here as a result.