Senator McKIM (Tasmania) (17:19): It's less than three weeks until the Tasmanian election, and the merchants of misery in the pokies sector are trying hard and spending hard to protect the money they are leeching from Tasmanian families, Tasmanian communities and Tasmanian small businesses. Here's a bit of Tasmanian history: since the Labor Party allowed the Federal Group to build the Wrest Point Casino in Tasmania and later handed them a monopoly licence for the state's poker machines in pubs and clubs, we have seen this mutually beneficial relationship deliver the Federal Group and the Farrell family hundreds of millions of dollars. Of course, in return, they funded Labor's election campaigns with tens of thousands of dollars in political donations. If you want a definition of 'corruption' you don't have to look much further. While Labor has finally and belatedly called time on their relationship with the Federal Group, there are signs going up in the pokies bars around Tasmania right now that basically declare how the Federal Group has bought the Liberal Party lock, stock and barrel. Make no mistake: under the pokies policy the Liberal Party are taking to the Tasmanian election, the Federal Group stand to reap an incredible $75 million windfall—money sucked off the tables of gambling addicts, away from the school levies, away from the power bills, away from the food on the tables, and into the pockets of one of Australia's richest families. The Federal Group also have questions to answer about their relationship with Michael Kent, the Jacqui Lambie Network candidate, probably one of the most transactional politicians ever seen in Tasmania—believe me, that is really, really saying something. Mr Kent is a strong supporter of poker machines and recently defied reality by denying the existence of pokies addiction in regional Tasmania. The people of Lyons should know that a vote for Michael Kent is a vote for the Federal Group, it's actually a vote for the Liberal Party and it's a vote to lock in pokies harm and misery in Tasmania. The question is: how much money are the Liberal Party going to get in dodgy donations from the Federal Group in compensation to encourage them to hand over this $75 million windfall? The tragic answer, of course, is that we just don't know. We don't know how much Senator Abetz was paid for getting up in here recently and singing for his supper, as he did earlier in this debate. We don't know how much the Tasmanian Liberals are getting paid— The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Sterle ): Order! Senator McKim, Senator Abetz is not here to defend himself, but I must uphold some form of dignity as the Chair. I think at this stage that's seemingly a rather wild accusation, and I'd ask you to carefully choose your words. What I probably would encourage from you, Senator McKim, is that you just withdraw that comment. Senator McKIM: If I might, Chair, what I actually said, if you review the Hansard, was that we do not know how much in donations Senator Abetz has received from the Federal Group. That's a fact, because Tasmania does not have state based political donations disclosure laws. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: A point of order, Senator Gallacher? Senator Gallacher: I clearly heard the imputation that Senator Abetz had 'sung for his supper' and how much he was being paid. I think that is highly disorderly, even though it's very unusual of me to leap to the defence of the other side of the chamber. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Thank you, Senator Gallacher. I would remind Senator McKim, on that point of order, under standing order 193, it is not appropriate to—what is the word, Clerk?—impute. Senator McKim, I would ask, under those circumstances, for you to please withdraw that comment. Senator McKIM: If it's of assistance to you, Acting Deputy President, I withdraw the assertion that he sung for his supper, but I maintain that we don't know what political donations have been given by the Federal Group to Senator Abetz or any other member of the Tasmanian Liberal Party. We just don't know, and that is not good enough. Who pays the price? The Tasmanian people pay the price. The Tasmanian people are the ones that are losing out, have lost out for decades— Senator Williams interjecting— Senator McKIM: and will keep losing out, Senator Williams, if the Liberals get into government after the next election. It's crucial for the Tasmanian people—the voters of Tasmania—to understand that the only election result that's going to allow this leeching of food off the table of Tasmanians, this sucking of money out of Tasmanian small businesses, is a Liberal majority government. Any other outcome and the pokies are gone out of pubs and clubs—and so they should be. The Labor Party should never have given that monopoly deal to Federal Hotels in 2002. They had no mandate to do so. They received massive donations in return for it. And now, thankfully, the Labor Party has recovered itself, via the Greens, and the acid is now on the Liberals. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Sterle ): Order! The time for the discussion has expired.