Senator IAN MACDONALD (Queensland) (15:25): What a despicable, gutless speech this chamber has just heard. It's typical of the Labor Party and someone like Senator Cameron, who was a great mate of Eddie Obeid and the Ian Macdonald from the New South Wales Labor Party, who are currently serving time in jail for corruption and who are great mates of Senator Cameron. They're the sort of gutless, despicable comments you can expect from the Labor Party. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Macdonald, please resume your seat. Senator Cameron. Senator Cameron: That is a clear reflection. It should be withdrawn. ICAC even indicated I was an honest and upstanding witness. I assisted ICAC. I assisted all of the areas that had to be assisted. So that should be withdrawn. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Cameron, please resume your seat. That's a debating point. Senator IAN MACDONALD: Thank you, Madam Deputy President. It certainly is a debating point, and Senator Cameron is denying he was a mate of Eddie Obeid's and the bad Ian Macdonald, the Labor Party minister from New South Wales. Is Senator Cameron denying that? What a gutless, despicable speech from Senator Cameron. He's a bit like former Senator Conroy, attacking public servants who have no way of responding. And Senator Cameron is typical of the Labor Party. Public servants aren't in this chamber and they cannot get up and defend themselves as I can. Senator Cameron won't stay to hear my responses to his despicable attacks. Public servants are there to do a job. They are not part of the political process. Senator Cameron, Senator Conroy before him, and most Labor politicians and senators at estimates will attack public servants personally, knowing that they cannot respond to these vicious, personal and deliberate attacks by members of the Australian Labor Party. They are disgusting in the way they do that. I remember how Senator Conroy made an accusation to General Campbell, who everybody knew was an honest, reliable, first-class soldier, currently Chief of the Defence Force but in those days doing the job that his government had given him to do. He was subject to the sort of despicable comment you've just heard from Senator Cameron on public servants. He speaks about a number of other public servants who are simply not in a position to defend themselves, although one of those he named—I can't be more specific than this—has sought to respond in the rules of the Senate to some of the despicable, personal and untrue allegations that were made by members of the Australian Labor Party. And for Senator Cameron to talk about others making political appointments to the Public Service is just laughable. We have no better example than one who has just walked into the room—my good friend Senator Watt—who was a failed Labor member of parliament in the Queensland parliament and appointed then into the Queensland Public Service. I mean, if Senator Cameron wants to talk about examples like this, he only has to look over his shoulder and see that the Labor Party is full of this. I've been in this chamber for a long time and, regrettably, I've lived through 12 years of Labor governments. They continually politicise the Public Service. Not often were they ever criticised by our side of parliament, because these political appointees, having been appointed, are public servants, and it's not our wont to actually politicise them. But the Labor Party know no bounds. I don't know all the other public servants that were mentioned by Senator Cameron, but I know Mr Hadgkiss did a wonderful job as an Australian bringing law and order to a very disorderly part of our economy—disorder that was promoted by the union movement, who put Senator Cameron in this chamber here. Mr Hadgkiss did a wonderful job in bringing law and order to an industry that had been unlawful. I think Senator Cameron mentioned Mr Mark Bielecki. I believe he is from the commission that is looking into union rorts! More union rorts, and more Labor Party rorts— Senator Williams: He'll be flat out looking into the unions! Senator IAN MACDONALD: Well, it will be a full-time job, you're right, Senator Williams. But that is typical of the Labor Party. When decent, honest, God-fearing officials—be they police, public servants, people with a specific role—look into the rorts, corruption and illegality of the union movement— Senator O'Neill interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator IAN MACDONALD: Senator O'Neill, no doubt, is supported by the CFMEU, who are continually fined by the courts of the land for illegal activity. The CFMEU are defended by the likes of Senator O'Neill and Senator Cameron. That's the sort of despicable conduct you get from Labor Party senators who support and promote these law-breakers—these people who say they don't have to bother following the laws of the land. That's what the union movement say. Senator O'Neill interjecting— The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator IAN MACDONALD: Those are the sorts of people that Senator O'Neill continues to support in this place. I'm sorry that she is following the actions of her colleague Senator Cameron in this chamber. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Macdonald, please resume your seat. I remind senators—and, Senator O'Neill, I have called a number of times—that Senator Macdonald has the right to be heard in silence. Senator IAN MACDONALD: This is not a subject I particularly want to raise, but Senator Cameron keeps on and on about my position in this parliament. Well, Senator Cameron—as with everything else—gets it completely wrong. I am on the ticket for the next election. He is not. He didn't even have the guts to face preselection with the Labor Party in New South Wales, because the union had tapped him on the shoulder and said: 'Sorry, mate, you're so useless, you're so ineffective, you get the boot. Off you go to Tasmania. We don't even want you back in New South Wales.' That's the sort of person who makes these sorts of accusations against me. Senator Cameron interjecting— Senator IAN MACDONALD: Senator Cameron miscategorises the preselection panel of the Liberal National Party in Queensland. I wasn't thrown aside by the Liberal National Party. Of the 14,000-odd members of the Liberal National Party, there was a preselection panel of 253—200 of whom came from Brisbane, I might say—and they didn't select me in that No. 1 position. Senator O'Neill: Deputy President, on a point of order: I'm sure that the senator appreciates the opportunity to tell his personal story, but I thought we were debating the government's abuse of its authority in putting partisan people into senior roles in the Public Service. He should speak to the issue. The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Debate has been wide-ranging on the motion that Senator Cameron moved, so there's no point of order. Please continue, Senator Macdonald. Senator IAN MACDONALD: Thanks, Deputy President. I would just say on that spurious interjection and interruption by Senator O'Neill that I was actually responding to comments that her colleague Senator Cameron had made in this debate—and the debate is not on government principles; it is a debate to take note of something that Senator Cormann did. I can assure members of the Labor Party that I'll be back after the next election. I will be back, and I will be doing that in the same way as your colleague Senator Singh did on one occasion—and I suspect will do again. I know that there is a lot of disloyalty, disruption, backbiting and division within the Labor Party, but I think Senator Singh will be back—and I'll be glad. She is a senator who shows the strength of her convictions. She is prepared to buck the machine, and good on her. It just shows the absolute division within the Labor Party. If you want to speak more about the division in the Australian Labor Party, let's have a look at their position on trade matters. Half of them are on one side and half of them are on the other side. They don't know where they are at. And, of course, Mr Albanese is there pushing on all this disunity because Mr Albanese sees that his time as Leader of the Opposition is fast approaching. That brings me to a point that Senator Cameron always makes in attacking a female minister, one of the best ministers, who just so happens to be a female minister. You don't see Senator Cameron attacking too many male ministers in this place. In attacking Senator Cash, one of the best ministers we have had, Senator Cameron told mistruths about her, saying that she was disgraced and that she had misled the parliament. She is certainly not disgraced. I don't know if Senator Cameron thinks that if he says the word 'disgraced' often enough someone will eventually believe him. She is a brilliant minister. She is not at all disgraced; in fact, she is revered. She is looked up to by most Australians, because she did such a wonderful job in exposing the union movement for all of the rorts, dishonesty and illegality that it is involved in. Senator Cash did that, and because of that she has paid the ultimate price. The union movement, with their pockets of gold, are determined to get rid of her—and Mr Dutton, another very effective minister who stands up for what is right. The union movement, with their pockets of gold, will do everything they can to destroy Senator Cash and Mr Dutton—but it won't work in either case. The unions will continue to attack Senator Cash. Why? Senator Cameron often talks about a raid on a union office. He seems to think that that is a problem. The police got a warrant to go and raid, to investigate criminal activity. And what was the criminal activity that they were investigating? It was whether or not Mr Bill Shorten, then a leading unionist, had misappropriated funds that had been given to the union movement into his campaign account for his tilt at being elected to parliament. Senator O'Neill interjecting— Senator IAN MACDONALD: I don't know whether that's true or not, Senator O'Neill, but we do know, on the record, what that was all about. It was a police investigation—properly done with warrants—into a parliamentarian's office to see whether there had been criminality in the transfer of funds from the union movement to Mr Shorten's campaign account prior to his election here. Of course, the last thing Senator Cameron or the Labor Party want to discuss is that particular issue. They are doing everything possible to derail the investigation into that alleged criminality. Senator Cameron will come in here and attack Senator Cash every day of the week. Why? It is because Senator Cash was the minister—she didn't make the decision of course; it was the authorities—who the authorities in her department decided needed to look into those allegations of criminality. But you never hear that from Senator Cameron; it's always, 'Oh, this raid on a member of parliament's office.' That's not the issue; the issue is: was there criminality by Mr Shorten in transferring, without authority, funds from the union movement to his campaign account? That's the question. Suddenly everyone has gone quiet. That's the issue that Labor Party senators don't want to be raised at this time. All I can say is that Senator Cash has done a wonderful job, as has Mr Dutton in his role as border protection minister. He is the home affairs minister, who keeps Australians safe and keeps our migration policy operating properly. GetUp! and the unions, who fund the Labor Party and the Greens, don't like that, so they'll do everything they can to destroy those people. I see they're even trying to destroy my friend and deputy leader. He has been a wonderful minister in every portfolio that he has touched, whether in government or opposition. He has done a wonderful job. He's being attacked now for being promoted. I can't follow the logic of Senator Wong's attack on Senator Birmingham for his well-deserved promotion in the last reshuffle. Senator Birmingham interjecting— Senator IAN MACDONALD: Don't thank me, Minister. I only speak the truth on these sorts of things, as I always do. I return to my real point here. I have been here a long time and I have seen some robust debates in this chamber, but never have I seen these sorts of despicable, gutless attacks you get from members of the Australian Labor Party on public servants, who have no way of answering back. Senator Cameron can and does attempt to bully me, shout me down, accuse me and tell lies about me all the time. I don't mind that. I'm in this business, I have a thick hide and I can defend myself—I have the opportunity to speak. But Senator Cameron's regrettable, gutless and despicable attacks on public servants have happened only in recent years. I think it shows a lack of leadership in the Labor Party that those sorts of personal attacks on public servants are allowed to continue. The Senate and the Australian parliament are worse for that action. It is one of the unwritten laws or conventions always followed that in this chamber you do not attack people who are not in a position to defend themselves. That is particularly so with public servants, who because of their roles always show—the word is not properly used—deference to parliamentarians because they see that parliamentarians are elected by the people, and they pay respect to them. They won't argue with politicians, because that's not their role or part of their appointment criteria. Politicians who come in and personally attack public servants, who they know have no ability to respond, deserve the contempt of the Australian people and I might say do achieve the contempt of the Australian people. The previous speaker comes from a branch of the New South Wales Labor Party that has many of its politicians and ministers in jail for corruption and dishonesty. I'm amazed that Senator Cameron ever has the gall to mention this subject. Senator Cameron has never and can never deny that he was a good mate of Eddie Obeid, who is now serving time in jail, and the man who regrettably has my name—Ian Macdonald—and was a Labor minister in a New South Wales government I think of Senator Keneally. Senator Cameron was mates of these people. I understand that they protected his preselection. They helped him knife in the back his colleague George Campbell. I remember Senator George Campbell, a Labor senator here—not a terribly effective one, but he did the job and he did it honestly. Senator Campbell was a nice enough fellow. I understand he thought that Senator Cameron was a friend of his. But we all know from reading the newspapers that Senator Cameron knifed him in the back to get his position here in the parliament. And Senator Cameron well knew that, had he stood for preselection for the next election, he would have been beaten because people have long memories in the New South Wales Labor Party and the knives were out for Senator Cameron. He didn't even have the guts to fight. Senator O'Neill: What a load of absolute nonsense! Senator IAN MACDONALD: Senator O'Neill—well, I don't think you were part of that group—continues to protect those who bring politics generally into disgrace but, more importantly, the New South Wales Labor Party into despair. Madam Acting Deputy President Lines, this debate is to take note of Senator Cormann tabling some answers on time. Senator Cameron wanted to know where those answers were, and Senator Cormann said, 'Well, here they are.' Yet, we've still had a one-hour debate because Senator Cameron likes to use these sorts of opportunities to smear those who cannot defend themselves. As I say, it's this sort of gutless, despicable activity by some politicians that leads the whole profession to be viewed in a poor state by most Australians. Question agreed to.